The debate over Ferran Torres is a toxic one

The narrative around a player constructs states of opinion. With Ferran Torres there is an undercurrent of scepticism that, on the worst days, leads to hate on social media.

There is a recurrent phenomenon with Ferran, settling the accounts of our expectations. Each performance is accompanied by the crutch of the money he cost.

The scrutiny includes a biased view of his football. People are projecting a footballer whom he has never been. The cost of his signing has caused qualities which he is not blessed with to be taken for granted. Ferran is a winger, but he has never been a pure dribbler. He wasn't at Valencia and he wasn't at City.

Guardiola knew this and looked for contexts that favoured his best qualities: being close to goal and taking advantage of his movements without the ball.

"He is a young player and can play in three positions up front. He came as a winger but perhaps he should consider playing as a centre-forward. He has the intuition to know exactly where the ball will go. Every time he plays in that position he has a real sense of goal.”

Ferran has been harmed by the story that accompanies Barça wingers. Excelling in one-on-ones is expected from them. We have seen it this season with profiles like Dembélé, Adama, Abde or even Ilias. Or in the past with players like Neymar or Figo.

But Ferran Torres is something else. He is a facilitator. A footballer who improves his teammates. A striker who creates partnerships with his movements. A winger who has among his best qualities the ability to lose his marker, an aspect that Barça has missed in recent years.

Anyone who's played knows the difference between having a teammate who wants it to his feet or one who's constantly on the move. His contribution is reminiscent, in this sense, of Pedro's in Messi's Barça. With the Canarian, he also shares a taste for goals, his competitive nature and the defensive work of modern forwards.

Ferran has produced 13 goals in 22 games and has done so playing mostly on the left wing, a position that is not his. Seven goals and six assists, numbers that are above the most brilliant winter signings.

Luis Díaz (45 million, Liverpool) has accumulated 5 goals and 3 assists in 21 games. Vlahovic (80 million, Juventus) has 7 goals and 2 assists in 17 games. Ferran's figures deny the idea that he is a player of intangibles. His impact on Barça has been that of a top player, despite the fact that he has lowered his performance in recent weeks.

Xavi is the first to maintain that he has been the best signing of the season and that he is a key structural footballer in his project. At 22 years old, Barça not only invested in the current Ferran Torres, but also in the player he could become.