Getting one word to summarise Saúl Ñíguez’s career over the last few years is difficult.
When everyone thought he was untouchable in that Atlético Madrid squad, he signed on loan for Chelsea in 2021.
When everyone thought he would sign for Chelsea permanently or leave Atlético Madrid for some other club, he stayed there and has since been fighting to get his career back on track at the Spanish club.
It is fair to say he has started this season well.
The below visualisation shows where the 29-year-old Spanish international ranks for some of the key metrics when compared with the other left-sided midfielders from Europe’s Tier 1 leagues.
At Atlético Madrid for close to a decade, before he left them for Chelsea, Saúl Ñíguez was among the players who were playing quite regularly.
When he moved to Chelsea, his playing time kind of dropped.
One of Europe’s most versatile left-footed players, Saúl Ñíguez, started only 11 games last season in La Liga and was mostly used as a substitute.
Ñíguez already has seven games this time and looks to be finding his feet again, with four assists already to his name – more than any other Atlético Madrid player.
Ñíguez was seen as one of the most all-round midfielders, and he seems to be that once again, looking at the visual above, with strong performances defensively.
His versatility has also been useful for his team at times.
Ñíguez surely seems to be getting back to his old self.
With still a lot of time left before his current contract expires, the Spanish midfielder will look to become a regular first and then shine with performances, once again at Atlético Madrid.
