DBasia.news – Arthur’s presence in Barcelona is so much awaited by the supporters. They are wondering the price of the player bought from Gremio worth 31 million euro, a relatively high price for a new player in Europe.
Of course, he isn’t King Arthur the legend in England, but he is Arthur Melo, the 21-year-old Brasilian midfielder with a bright future. His playing style, before coming to Barca, was considered equal to the Barcelona legend, Andres Iniesta.
“I’m a player who likes to have the ball at my feet and organize play. As a defensive midfielder, I see more of the ball, further back. But as a playmaker, Renato is forcing me to get into the area,” he explained to reporters.
The Gremio academy product played for Gremio since 2015 to 2018. He was also the part of U17 Brasil national team, and currently in U20. Arthur’s name is getting popular due to his excellent performance in Copa Libertadores.
Arthur’s passing accuracy while playing in Brasil was around 94,8 percent, while his passing was around 88 points. Seeing this short statistic, no wonder the supporters want to see Arthur’s performance.
The moment came in the International Champions Cup of Barcelona vs Tottenham Hotspur. Arthur was the starter for 45 minutes by Ernesto Valverde and scored a beautiful goal from outside the penalty box.
Though only playing for 45 minutes, Arthur’s teammate in Barcelona, Rafinha Alcantara, saw the similarity of his style with another legend, Xavi Hernandez. Not Iniesta.
“I don’t like to make comparisons usually, but he has a touch of Xavi about him. It’s the way he touches the ball, the way he passes it. He’s a great, great signing for Barcelona,” said Rafinha quoted by Sport-English.
“Arthur’s a player that we think can give us a lot of things and he’s shown that today. He’s good in possession, on the ball, carrying it forward, he can get in areas to shoot,” Valverde added.
Seeing Arthur’s performance, the public expects that he can adapt fast with Spanish football culture. Though in fact, Barca are still looking for one more midfielder that can complement Sergio Busquets.