“He is stronger on Instagram than on the field”: Former Bayern striker slams Barcelona forward

Signing on a free transfer for his boyhood club, Memphis Depay got off to a flying start in the garnet and blue of Barcelona. With eight goals and two assists in 15 games, the Dutchman is one of the leading scorers in La Liga but has come under heavy scrutiny recently.

Across the last few games, Memphis has been brought down to Earth. He’s only registered two goals in his previous five games while missing two big chances. Further, the former Olympique Lyonnais-man had the opportunity to send Barça through to the Round of 16 against Benfica but failed to be productive.

Joining in the criticism was former Bayern Munich striker Sandro Wagner. Speaking on DAZN’s post-game show, he slammed Memphis, saying, “Against Bayern, Memphis won only 27% of his duels. Currently, he is stronger on Instagram than on the field.”

Memphis indeed did not have a great outing against the Bavarian giants and was not able to pull strings from the final third as he is accustomed to. However, criticism like this comes completely unwarranted.

For starters, the 27-year-old is the fourth-highest scorer in the league with eight goals, trailing only Karim Benzema (12), Vinicius Jr. (10), and Juanmi (9). He’s also one of the prime creators in the league, averaging 2.3 key passes per game – the third highest.

Not to mention he scored three goals in three games in November and was nominated for La Liga player of the month.

Memphis has talked openly about how he needs to come through for the team more often, saying, “I expect myself to score and I put a high expectation on myself to score goals. I need to score more goals, and the team needs it.”

While a strong performance or two from Memphis would have put Barcelona through to the Round of 16, he has barely found an ounce of stability at the club. Playing under three different managers within three months, the Dutch forward has been deployed as an attacking midfielder, a striker and a left-winger.

Criticism like this, especially from a player like Wagner, who has less than 150 goal contributions in his career, is thoroughly undeserved. Memphis has been putting in the work often, and now that he has picked up an injury and is out for a month, Barcelona fans will know what they are missing.