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Barcelona star Ansu Fati (X)
Ansu Fati was aged just 16 years and 304 days when he netted his first goal in the Barcelona colours.
Ansu Fati will hope to start for Barcelona when they face Osasuna in an away La Liga fixture on September 29. The match will be hosted at the El Sadar Stadium, which remains a special venue for Fati. The Spanish forward netted his first goal in the Barcelona colours at this ground in August 2019. He was aged just 16 years and 304 days back then. With the strike against Osasuna, Fati became the youngest scorer for Barcelona and the third-youngest scorer in La Liga history. Last season, Lamine Yamal, however, shattered both records with his debut goal for Barcelona against Granada.
After five years, Ansu Fati is heading to El Sadar at a crucial stage of his career. He has yet to play his first game in the Spanish league this season. Fati has returned to Barcelona this summer after spending the last season at Brighton & Hove Albion on loan. He had considerable offers from some top European clubs ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
Fati, however, was adamant about continuing at Barcelona. Newly appointed boss Hansi Flick has also kept his faith in the young forward. Fati was part of the Barcelona squad that travelled to Monaco for the Champions League opener last week.
Despite Eric Garcia’s early red card, the visitors put up a commendable fight but ended up losing by a 2-1 margin. Fati was brought to the pitch late in the second half and was unable to make any impact.
“I’ve spoken to him and he sees himself more in the left-wing position but he has great qualities to play centrally as well. I saw him very differently in July and was brilliant in training. Now he needs time and we have to look after him,” Flick said about Fati after the Champions League defeat.
In his early days at Barcelona, Fati was regarded as one of the most promising talents in Europe. Some fans even recognised him as the successor of the legendary Lionel Messi, who has registered 672 goals for the Catalan side.
Fati who made his debut for Barcelona in 2019 has so far represented the club in 113 matches across all competitions. However, his emerging career has been affected by several injury issues in recent times. Over the past few years, the 21-year-old has undergone multiple knee surgeries while also suffering muscle problems on some occasions.
