Barcelona forward lost in the shuffle with little to no prominence in the team | OneFootball

Before the 2024/25 campaign started, Barcelona forward Pau Victor showed that he could be a useful option in attack for Hansi Flick with impressive performances during the pre-season.

Indeed, the 23-year-old attacker, who had scored 20 goals last season with Barça Atletic before being signed permanently from Girona in the summer, was the top-scorer in the pre-season which included a brace against Real Madrid.

Victor impressed with his keen eye for a goal and his versatility – able to play anywhere across the frontline, but was largely seen as the natural alternative to Robert Lewandowski in the No. 9 role.

No prominence

However, as highlighted by SPORT, a little over midway through the season, Pau Victor has been lost in the shuffle and is enjoying little to no prominence in this Barcelona team.

The Spanish attacker finds himself as the main casualty of Lewandowski’s second wind and the new role that Ferran Torres has been handed as the backup centre-forward by Flick.

Struggling for relevancy. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Indeed, Victor is no longer Lewandowski’s direct substitute but has become the backup for the veteran’s substitute, as Ferran has now taken on that role.

Victor has participated in 21 out of 36 matches, which is not too bad considering the problems with his registration, but he has only started once.

Unfortunately, that start was in the worst defeat Barcelona has suffered so far this season: a 4-2 loss to Osasuna at El Sadar. Nonetheless, he has scored two goals and provided one assist.

Furthermore, of the 20 matches Victor has come on as a substitute, 8 have been during stoppage time. So, practically, he steps onto the pitch only for the referee to signal the end of the match, leaving him with little opportunity to make an impact.

The forward will have to continue waiting for his big opportunity. However, as the season progresses into its decisive phase, it is likely to become increasingly difficult for him to get a run in the team.