Joan Garcia 7, Lamine Yamal 8.5 | Mallorca 0-3 Barcelona: Player ratings | OneFootball

Barcelona kicked off their La Liga campaign with a strong win over Mallorca on Saturday night but the game will be talked about for a long time for all the wrong reasons.

While Barcelona did not have any fault on their part, the ambiguous refereeing in the first half will paint them as the villains in the eyes of a few. Yet, not many of the referee’s decisions were as contentious as is being said.

Raphinha opened the scoring on the night with a lovely header off a Yamal assist, and Ferran Torres soon doubled the lead in a controversial run of play where Mallorca had a player down.

Yet, the referee did not blow the whistle for the foul and Torres was well within his right to shoot.

Matters then got worse as the hosts lost a player to a red card for a foul on Yamal while their striker was soon sent off minutes later for a harsh challenge on Joan Garcia. Raphinha could well have been sent off for Barcelona but the official was not called over to review by the VAR.

In the end, Barcelona did not overpush and ended the game with a 3-0 scoreline after Lamine Yamal added the cherry on the cake. Barça Universal brings you the player ratings from Mallorca 0-3 Barcelona.

Joan Garcia: 7

Joan Garcia made his debut. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

The new signing made his official debut for Barcelona at Son Moix and did not have a whole lot to do on the night, especially after the two red cards. Took a massive blow to the face through Vedat Muriqi’s challenge after already sustaining an injury in the warm-up.

Alejandro Balde: 7.5

The left-back looked fit and raring to go as he barely put a step wrong going forward on the night.

Balde was deceptive with his movements, his dribbling was on point and he left the game with good reason to stay optimistic about the season ahead.

Pau Cubarsi: 7

With Inigo Martinez out, the weight of playing the ball from the back falls on the youngster’s shoulders and he did well balancing that added responsibility last night while also staying defensively stable.

Looked good with his tackles, the timing of his track-backs and the distribution from the back.

Ronald Araujo: 6.5

The Uruguayan star stepped onto the field with the captain’s armband and had a major part of the spotlight shining on him as he played to prove that he deserves to be a starter after Inigo Martinez’s departure.

The opening phase of the game saw him rush into some hasty challenges, some unwarranted duels and lose his calm but he largely stayed composed on the ball and even looked to progress the ball forward with incisive passes.

Eric Garcia: 6.5

The Spaniard surprisingly started over Jules Kounde on the night and it now appears that he may well be Flick’s preferred right-back over the Frenchman heading into the new season.

Provided vigour in the final third and was defensively stable as he could be, delivering a smooth and steady performance.

Pedri: 8

The Canary Islander was on a different level last night, and it appeared at times like he was playing the game in slow motion.

Barcelona’s leader through the middle was unfazed even under the most severe pressure and kept the ball glued to his feet at all times in possession. Every circulation and buildup passed through his feet and he regularly looked to break the line

Frenkie de Jong: 7.5

De Jong had a very solid outing playing in the double-pivot, combined well with Pedri and held the fortress with relative ease.

Helped control the game and retain possession until the twin send-offs but did not have a whole lot of responsibility after the game turned around.

Fermin Lopez: 6

The La Masia graduate started ahead of Dani Olmo and was spirited with his movements and passing but looked relatively disconnected from the team compared to his performance in preseason.

Did well with some attacking movement but could have done better to create a threat in the box. Was taken off at half-time and replaced by Dani Olmo.

Lamine Yamal: 8.5

New season, same old Lamine Yamal. (Photo by Rafa Babot/Getty Images)

The Ballon d’Or nominee has returned to the new season much faster and agile than he was last season and simply bamboozled the Mallorca defence time and time again last night.

He helped Raphinha open the scoring with a stunning cross-field assist and even had several chances to score himself. In fact, it was his dribble that prompted a harsh challenge and a subsequent red card for Mallorca that began their undoing.

Scored in the final minute of the game with a finish in the top bins to seal the win.

Raphinha: 8.5

First game, first goal for Raphinha. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

The Brazilian scored the first goal of Barcelona’s new season with a red-hot header running into the space behind the defence and it is clear that he is hungry to keep up the steam from last season.

Could well have been sent off at the end of the first half for a reckless challenge but was lucky to get away with the risky and unnecessary tackle.

Ferran Torres: 8

The Spanish forward started as Barcelona’s striker on the night and did a fine job of filling in the shoes. His movements and constant runs behind the line created a constant threat and kept the Mallorca defence on their toes.

Scored with a sensational finish from outside the box but his goal will likely go under the radar for the drama that unfolded on the field at the same time and hogged the limelight. Regardless, the strike was vicious enough to go in even if Mallorca did not have a player down.

Dani Olmo: 6

Replaced Fermin at half-time and did a decent job of playing in the spaces despite starting off slow. While he did grow into the game, he too could have done better in the spaces and even ended the game with a goal or two to his name.

Gavi: 6.5

The midfielder looked confident on the ball, back at his complete fitness and solid with the defensive work-rate and distribution, thus giving Flick all the more reason to trust him more from the start moving ahead this season.

Jofre Torrents: 6.5

The academy left-back made his official debut for the first team in the second half and showed his attacking potential which is highly spoken of. Could well have finished with an assist.

Marcus Rashford: 6

The Englishman made his official debut for Barcelona and played both at centre-forward and on the left wing on the night. While he did not do anything flashy, he showed a decent work rate and created some attacking outlets.