Barcelona’s New Right-Back: Nelson MotoGP Semedo

The Portuguese was a little imprecise in his first appearances but in the derby he gave away practically nothing. One error in bringing the ball out in the first half aside, there was nothing to reproach. The rest of the game he was impeccable, important in attack and doing everything correctly in defence.

With the ball at his feet he was happy to roam and gain metres. He ran at a speed of 7.1 metres per second – Usain Bolt goes at 10.43. The explosiveness of the defender allowed him not only to impress going forward but in defence too. He stopped various Espanyol attacks with his speed, the same way Eric Abidal used to do in his time at the club.

We will have to see who Valverde picks at right-back against Juventus, but it seems today that Semedo is doing a good job of staking his claim. His 30 million euro cost is already looking cheaper.