According to the OptaJose Twitter account, Arthur Melo successfully completed 135 passes out of an attempted 142 in Barcelona's recent match against Valencia.

While this sets a record for La Liga this season, Arthur also attempted more passes than anyone else in an away game since November of 2012, where Xavi Hernandez attempted 148 against Levante. The game itself against Valencia wasn't the greatest display Barcelona has put on in 2018, but Arthur showed himself to be quite the signing. Many fans consider the 40m Euro price tag to be more than justified – Gremio may be happy with the money, but they've lost a star player as a result of the transaction.

At just 22 years of age, Arthur is also in a prime position to become a superstar midfielder just like Xavi, who enjoyed a career at Barcelona spanning from 1998 to 2015. While it remains to be seen whether Arthur will become the playmaker and passing extraordinaire that Xavi was, Barcelona fans can at least look forward to his development over the next 3 years to see just how solid of a purchase he was for the team's midfield. At such a young age, people are confident that as he matures, he'll become a dominating force in the midfield for Barcelona's best 11. Will he be the team's next Xavi? That question is going to take some time to answer, but we can only hope for the fans' sake that he is!

What do we know about the passing record setter, anyway? Arthur loves being on the water whether it's on a boat or a jet ski. He's also right-footed and stands at 1.72m. Additionally, back before his move to Barcelona, Arthur asked for some wisdom and advice from Brazilian superstars Coutinho and Paulinho, hoping to find out some information about the club's structure and culture before making the move. When he's not on the field practicing with his team mates or checking out adult games, you'll most likely find Arthur strolling around the city and taking in the history of the region.

We wish Arthur the best of luck at the club and have full faith that he'll be our go-to midfielder over the coming years. A signing worthy of praise – especially if he continues to set La Liga records!