Why Rafinha Is the Forgotten Barcelona Player Who Will Explode in 2015/16

Rafinha Alcantara could be forgiven for thinking his time at Barcelona is heading much the same way as his sibling, Thiago.

The elder of the two brothers left for Bayern Munich and into the bosom of Pep Guardiola to get the amount of playing time he no doubt thought he deserved in Catalonia.

Rafinha has certainly impressed in his cameo appearances but hasn't really been given the opportunity to shine on a regular basis.

Over half of his 30 appearances per WhoScored.com were as a substitute, and the youngster only managed to play the full 90 minutes on five occasions in 2014/15. In 16 of those games, he played for 25 minutes or less, hardly a ringing endorsement of his footballing abilities by the club.

Nevertheless, it's highly unlikely the club would countenance another situation similar to Thiago's, and to that end, we're likely to see more of Rafinha in due course.

Still just 22 years of age, time is very much on his side, and there is room for obvious growth as a player at the highest level. In terms of improvements to be made to his game, Rafinha might be better served by carrying on doing what he has done so well to this point.

It may take an injury to another midfielder for him to fully grab his chance, or we might see Luis Enrique spring a surprise in the early part of the season. Either way, the steady progression to his career to this point will continue in what will be a breakout season for the player.

His main strengths, dribbling and passing combined with a studious defensive work ethic, are going to continue to serve him well. Per Squawka, during 2014/15 Rafinha managed to complete almost 800 passes with a stunning 92 percent pass accuracy.

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Tw Rafinha: "The clear example of a perfect sportsman. THANKS XAVI: http://t.co/mlko2SDeVK" [@rafinha] pic.twitter.com/UE26Qyvyyl

— barcastuff (@barcastuff) June 9, 2015"

He won 67 percent of his take-ons, making him the fourth-best in the entire first-team squad in this regard. Although it is slightly misleading because of the amount of games played, such a stat does still place him above Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.

With a completion of 48 percent of his tackles, Barca have another all-round midfielder who has been excellent at the linking of play between defence and attack.

Only two yellow cards and one red is a definite sign of an improvement in his disciplinary record, something that curtailed his progress in the past.

Sachin Chandra noted via Outside of the Boot: 

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This is a player with undoubted ability on the ball, with an engine that never seems to stop, versatility that would make the finest of footballers envious, with a keen sense of finding a pass and showing up at the right areas at the right time.

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Chandra also goes on to say Rafinha isn't a traditional La Masia player in the sense he "isn't a possession based player." In some respects, that is precisely what sets him apart because Barca have plenty of exponents whose natural game is based on possession of the football.

Rafinha remains a much more dynamic type of midfielder who will drive at the heart of defences, unsettling them in the process. His vision on the pitch and the ability to execute delivery are other assets is his locker.

His upper body strength allows him to often bulldoze his way past opponents who can neither shake him off of the ball nor bring him down.

Why even consider spending somewhere in the region of €90 million for a player with similarities to the one already in situ?

It's time for Rafinha to shine.