Thomas Vermaelen has endured a difficult 2014-15 season. Having signed for Barcelona from Arsenal last summer, 286 days passed before the Belgian center-back made his debut for the Catalans. After making a positive impact in his first appearance, Vermaelen now has a point to prove, both to himself and to his club.Vermaelen's woes began last summer at the World Cup, when he suffered a hamstring injury while on duty with Belgium. The injury didn't stop Barca from signing him for 15 million last August as the player passed a medical, per BBC Sport. But the hamstring issue lingered, and Vermaelen had to undergo surgery in December.All the while, Barcelona played on and Vermaelen fell further and further down the pecking order. Gerard Pique has enjoyed an excellent season and is indispensable for the Blaugrana at center-back. Meanwhile, Javier Mascherano and Jeremy Mathieu have proven strong options alongside Pique.So perhaps it was no surprise that when Vermaelen finally made his debutlast weekend against Deportivo in Barcelona's final league match of the seasonhe played alongside Marc Bartra in central defense. Neither are first-choice, but both should be eager to prove themselves.For his part, Vermaelen turned in a good performance for 63 minutes before making way for substitute Douglas. Per WhoScored.com, he recorded two clearances and one interception, and perhaps more importantly in a Barcelona team, completed 93 percent of his passes. In addition, Barca led 2-0 at the time of his substitution, and Deportivo only equalized after he was no longer in the match.After his departure, @totalBarca tweeted: "Vermaelen has done a great job too in his debut. Lets not forget that. The man definitely deserves his chance."Vermaelen himself could barely contain his enthusiasm in his post-match comments, tellingtheDaily Mail:I'm very excited (to make my debut).I mean, just really happy. I am grateful to get this opportunity to play here; unfortunately it's only the last game of the season because of the injury I had. I am very happy and I enjoyed the day today.With his debut finally out of the way, Vermaelen now must turn to making his mark at the club. The Belgian left Arsenal after finding his first-team opportunities limited by the emergence of the Laurent Koscielny-Per Mertesacker partnership. At Barcelona, he will find it no easier to break into the starting XI under manager Luis Enrique."There's a huge amount of quality in the squad," Vermaelen said, per the Daily Mail. "What you see on the pitch I see every day in training and I can train against them, and now play with them."Only two matches remain in Barcelona's season, and the stakes are high in both of them. On Sunday, the Blaugrana will face Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final at the Camp Nou. Seven days later, Barca will travel to Berlin to play Juventus in the UEFA Champions League final, a match that could seal the club's second treble.Having only made his debut last weekend, Vermaelen probably won't be in Enrique's plans for the starting XI. But the chance remains that he could feature as a substitute.More likely, though, Vermaelen will have to wait until next season to truly make his mark. The Belgian has been the butt of numerous jokes and has received his share of criticism this season, though some of itlike being named toMarca's Liga worst XI (h/t 101 Great Goals) despite playing only oncewas unjustified.But for a professional footballer, that should only serve as motivation. And for Vermaelen, there's always next season."I only ask the fans to be patient. I understand the criticism I received, but it has been a very difficult season for me," he said, per Goal.com."I am convinced that next year will be much better."Follow @MiguelCominguez
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