28 goal contributions 

©TM/IMAGO

There were joyous scenes on the streets of Barcelona on Sunday evening as fans celebrated their heroes winning the LaLiga title. It would have been impossible for the Blaugrana to be crowned champions in sweeter style than by defeating arch rivals Real Madrid 2-0 at the Camp Nou. Barca have comfortably been the best side in Spain and they are currently 14 points ahead of Madrid, while finishing the season with 100 points remains a possibility. It was also a special night for Marcus Rashford with the Englishman scoring a stunning free-kick before winning his first ever league title.

Despite some ups and downs, the 28-year-old’s loan from Manchester United has unquestionably been a success and he wants to join the Catalan club permanently this summer – Barcelona remain undecided on whether to activate their €30 million option. Speaking on his future after the title win, Rashford said: “I am not a magician, but if I was, I would stay. So we will see. This is the perfect way I want it to end. I’m very happy, I just want to enjoy today. I live in the moment. It’s an incredible season.” Rashford’s 28 goal contributions – 14 goals and 14 assists – in all competitions is an excellent return considering he’s not a first-choice starter and we’ve compared his record against new arrivals across Barcelona’s illustrious history.

How Marcus Rashford compares to famous Barcelona signings

We’ve examined Transfermarkt’s vast database to discover which Barcelona players have registered the most goals contributions in their debut season after signing for the club. Interestingly, Rashford’s 28 goal involvements ranks him in the top twenty in 19th and that’s very impressive considering he’s only made 22 starts – less than half of his 47 appearances. The Man United loanee has also surpassed fellow Englishman Gary Lineker’s total of 24 goals and assists in his debut season in Catalonia. Some iconic names feature in the list below with Ronaldo occupying top spot after the Brazilian scored 47 goals and provided 13 assists during the 1996/97 season after joining from PSV.

Luis Suárez ranks second with the Uruguayan enjoying a phenomenal debut season at Barca after arriving from Liverpool in 2014 for €81.7m. Three legendary figures in football history complete the top five in Romário, Hans Krankl and Diego Maradona. Other renowned players in the top twenty list include Ronaldinho, Johan Cruyff, Neymar and Zlatan Ibrahimović. It’s unclear whether Barca will sign Rashford permanently but he’s averaging more than one goal contribution per 90 minutes and the €30m fee is very good value considering how much it would cost to replace him.