Vinicius Junior's hat-trick, Bellingham's amazing skill, Rodrigo's goal + a trio of assists, it was a tough watch for Barcelona.
Full player ratings for the match below:
Andrey Lunin – 9: The Ukrainian should be the No. 1 player in the absence of Thibaut Courtois. He played a great game – made several crucial saves, including an early save on Ferran Torres. The distribution with his feet and hands was quick and effective.
Dani Carvajal – 8: Barcelona's left wing was closed and rarely tested.
Tony Rudiger—7: Lewandowski bothered and remained quiet under Barcelona's occasional press.
Nacho—7: A strong display for the leader who had the opportunity to lift his first trophy with the captaincy.
Mendy – 7: Nothing could get past Mendy all night – and neither Ferran nor Lamal had much luck against the Frenchman.
Choamine – 7.5: He monitored Sergi Roberto and neutralized his influence. He worked well in the middle with Kroos and allowed Valverde to hedge higher when Real Madrid were defending.
Fede Valverde – 7.5: I never stopped running or working on and off the ball. Baldi has been caught sleeping in possession of it on more than one occasion. He sent a cross to Vinicius, which contributed to Rodrigo's fourth goal.
Toni Kroos – 7: Another day at the office for the German who remained in control throughout the match and put his teammates in good positions with the ball.
Jude Bellingham – 9: He didn't manage to score but he did everything else. Die-hard gamer, fun to watch. The opening assist for the press was provided by two Barcelona players. His silky techniques and skills were on display throughout the match. He put in an impressive effort defensively as well as he did offensively.
Vinicius Junior – 10: Declaration match from Vinicius Junior. This will be the start of his season and a strong start to 2024. He scored two goals in the first 10 minutes and scored a hat-trick on a well-placed penalty kick. He took complete control of Araujo and Conde and obtained the expulsion of Uruguay.
Rodrygo – 8.5: One goal and one assist – the Brazilian continues his impressive run. The Rodrigo-Bellingham-Vinicius trio came alive tonight and enjoyed plenty of success against Barcelona's weak pressing and high defensive line.
Alternatives:
Ibrahim – 8: What a player to sit on the bench, igniting an instant spark again and almost scoring Real Madrid's fifth goal.
Luka Modric – 6: 14 touches and 11/12 passes during his 10 minutes on the pitch.
Eduardo Camavinga – 7: Some silky touches and errors, mostly from Fermin, irritated Barcelona.
Joselo – Unavailable: He played the final four minutes of the game for Jude Bellingham.
Dani Ceballos – Unavailable: Another pair of fresh legs to close out the game.
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