Ever since a series of injuries brought Carles Puyol’s glorious career to a stuttering close, Barcelona have been looking for a new long-term partner for Gerard Pique in the centre of defence.
Several men have been and gone, with none of them even coming close to filling the giant boots of the inspirational long-haired leader.
Thomas Vermaelen, Marc Bartra, Jeremy Mathieu, Adriano and even Alex Song have all been given opportunities in the heart of Barca’s back four, but their inability to sufficiently impress has left a succession of managers deciding that their best option was a converted midfielder, Javier Mascherano.
The hard-working Argentine has been a remarkable success in his new position, but he will turn 33 at the end of the season and it’s clear that his surprisingly long stint as Pique’s makeshift partner is nearing an end.
Thankfully, however, at last Barca appear to have struck gold in the form of Samuel Umtiti, whose consistent excellence during his first season at the Nou Camp has been one of the major positives of the Catalan club’s campaign.
The France international has been far from an automatic selection, with a series of niggling injuries and the elder statesman role of Mascherano impeding him from immediately becoming a first-choice starter.
But when he has played, Umtiti has been nothing short of outstanding, showing himself to be strong in the tackle, fast along the ground, composed in possession and a ball magnet in the air.
Even the hard-to-please Nou Camp public, which has become tired at seeing so many ill-equipped partners for Pique over the last few years, has been regularly heard purring in praise over the assured performances of their new star.
Umtiti’s success has been remarkably reflected in the results he has helped achieve, with the team winning all 12 of the La Liga games in which he has appeared.
The only blot on his copybook so far was in the Champions League at Manchester City, where he was part of the team which was brutally exposed by Pep Guardiola’s men in a 3-1 defeat which didn’t fully reflect the extent of City’s second half dominance.
Even there, however, there was a caveat for Umtiti because he was lining up alongside Mascherano, with Pique sidelined by injury.
The question of whether Umtiti is now ahead of Mascherano in the pecking order is an intriguing one (if he isn’t yet, it’s only a matter of time), but Luis Enrique doesn’t have to decide right now because the Argentine is currently injured, ensuring that former Lyon man Umtiti will return to France in the starting line-up against Paris Saint-Germain tonight.
And it will be a major test for the 23 year-old, who will be going up against maybe the hottest striker in world football in the shape of Edinson Cavani.
So often an underachiever in the past, Uruguay star Cavani has blossomed since the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to become the undisputed focal point of PSG’s attack, scoring a hugely impressive 38 goals in 36 games so far this season.
Inevitably, much of the attention tonight will focus on whether his international team-mate Luis Suarez, or fellow attackers Lionel Messi and Neymar will become match-winners for Barca. But Cavani’s battle with Umtiti at the other end could be just as intriguing.
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