Víctor Valdés: Generally an excellent season. Valdés was the only player to play every minute of La Liga and the Champions League. Shows the confidence to be Barça’s numero uno for a long time to come. Saved many points with some vital saves. Unfortunately his biggest mistake this season cost a goal against Liverpool in the Champions League.

Jorquera: Only played in the Copa del Rey and the Copa Catalunya. Good shot stopper but doesn’t dominate the penalty area as well as Valdés.

Zambrotta: Got better as the season progressed to become the club’s best full-back. Can play on the left or right side of the defence and never tires in getting forward to support the attack. Played a total of 2337 minutes in the league and scored three goals.

Belletti: Fewer opportunities due to the arrival of Zambrotta, only played 779 minutes in the league. He was also seriously at fault in Liverpool’s first goal at Camp Nou.

Oleguer: Another player who saw his first team chances reduced by last summer’s reinforcements. It remains to be seen whether he can raise his game enough to be a regular starter. Was sent off against Real Madrid in Camp Nou. Deserves another season to see if he can progress. Played 1270 minutes in the league.

Puyol: Another good season from ‘Puyi’ if not quite as good as we have come to expect. May have been effected by the loss of his father and grandfather early in the season. He continues to perform at a very high level and leads the team with tremendous character. Played 3031 league minutes and scored one goal.

Márquez: A very disappointing season from the Mexican. From being one of the most important players in the team, this season has seen a drop in form and in confidence. Lost his place in the team to Thuram towards the end of the season. Probably earned enough credit in previous seasons to deserve another season. Played a total of 1723 minutes in the league and scored once.

Thuram: A pretty solid first season. Thuram is good in the tackle and strong in the air. His weaknesses are that he is not so quick when the ball is played in behind the defence and his distribution could be better. By the end of the season he was a first team regular. Played 1960 minutes in the league.

Gio: Left-back is not Barça’s best position and various options have been tried this season. Gio deservedly continues to be the most regular of those options. Next season will probably see a new signing taking his place, but don’t be surprised if Gio is there fighting for his place. Played 1779 minutes in the league.

Sylvinho: It’s always great to see Sylvinho on a mazy run forward, but defensively he is simply not good enough. One of the likely leavers this summer. Played 983 minutes in this season’s league.

Edmilson: A player who seems past his best. Not as dominating in midfield as in other seasons, and lacking the pace to play in defence. Another probable candidate for this summer’s clearout. Played 1814 league minutes.

Motta: Has never reached the potential he showed when he first broke into the team in 2002. He simply loses the ball too often to play as the midfield holding man. He would probably have done better playing in a Deco-like position, but then we had Deco to play there. Will also probably be asked to leave. Played 559 minutes in the league.

Xavi: A good season but still hasn’t quite found the form he was showing before his 6-month injury last season. Continues to impress with his passing and his mobility. A player who plays with an elegance befitting of Barça. This season he scored three goals in the league, playing a total of 2867 minutes.

Iniesta: One of the most improved players this season. What has most impressed has been his ability to win the ball back in midfield. His speed of thought and movement means he can often just nick the ball off an opponents toe without the need of a crunching tackle. Has made it difficult for Rijkaard to decide on his best midfield trio. He played 2695 minutes in this season’s league and scored 6 goals.

Deco: A disappointing season. Rumours of personal problems, and a strange hand injury may have influenced Deco’s drop in form. He is still a very important player, but there were games this season when he was really poor. His goalscoring abilities seem to have deserted him. Perhaps Rijkaard should have rested him more. To his credit he never hid and looked for the ball at all times. Played 2508 league minutes and scored one goal.

Giuly: With the emergence of Leo Messi it was never going to be easy for the Frenchman. During Messi’s injury Giuly had his opportunities but unfortunately is below the level of his first two seasons at Barça. Scored 3 goals in 1494 minutes this season in the league.

Messi: Astronomical rise this season. Has reached the level predicted for him and can easily be placed in the world’s top ten players. Gives defenders many sleepless nights with his speed and close control. He scored a hat-trick at Camp Nou against Real Madrid, and his goal against Getafe in the cup will be remembered for years. If he stays clear of injuries he should become a regular 20-goals-a-season player. Played 2001 minutes in the league, scoring 14 goals.

Eto’o: His season was dominated by the 5-month injury suffered in Bremen in September. He had started the season in superb form scoring 5 goals in six games before the injury. On his return he was involved in the controversial incident with Rijkaard over his not going on for five minutes against Racing. Didn’t quite regain his previous form and missed a couple of vital chances against Betis and Espanyol. His work-rate and goals-per-game rate are still superb. Played 1478 minutes in the league and scored 11 goals.

Gudjohnsen: Showed a good attitude throughout the season. A good player and a good professional, unfortunately he is not made to be Barça’s centre-forward. He may move back to England this summer and perhaps he is more suited to the English game. Scored 5 goals and played 1173 minutes in this season’s league.

Saviola: May well prove himself to be a great player for someone but it’s not going to be for Barça. Not enough of a team player to fit into a team already built around Ronaldinho. He did score goals when he played however, mainly in the Copa del Rey. In the league he played 670 minutes and scored 5 goals.

Ezquerro: Never really had the chances, and when he did he didn’t do enough. Should move to a smaller club this summer where he will probably show us what we missed. Played 269 minutes and scored once in this season’s league.

Ronaldinho: Despite many criticisms Ronaldinho continued to be very important. With the injuries to Messi and Eto’o, he was often the saviour with his excellent free-kicks. He did, however, miss a crucial penalty against Sevilla. Lacking fitness for most of the season we rarely saw the fantastic runs of previous seasons but we were still treated to some great passing. Hopefully this summer will give him a proper rest and next season he will be back to his brilliant best. Played 2789 minutes and scored 21 goals in the league this season.