Spectacular at just 19
At just 19 years of age, Gavi is already showing players that are much more experienced than he the desire and will to win required in games.
The sort of passion that rubs off on colleagues when they see him chasing a lost cause like his life depended on it with full-time approaching.
Sure, he’s still a little rough around the edges, but the kid is 19 years of age.
As if to underline his importance to Barcelona particularly, he’s already reached 100 games for the club, the youngest player to do so in the club’s illustrious history.
Of all the superstars and La Masia graduates that have strutted their stuff at Camp Nou and beyond, none have got to that number of games as quickly as Gavi has.
Let that sink in for a moment.
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Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesIt’s worth also pointing out that no one can say that he hasn’t deserved to start in the vast majority of those matches either.
He’s a total one-off, and gives the team something different. Something special. Something that perhaps shouldn’t work from a Barca midfield perspective but absolutely does.
Not as skilful or as technical as both Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, and clearly not as experienced as the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, he’s still worthy of being a first choice in any midfield that Xavi chooses to pick.
As a fall back option, playing him slightly further forward isn’t the worst idea in the world either, given how able he is in front of goal. Five for Spain in 25 appearances now is some going.
5 - Gavi has scored five goals in 25 games for Spain in all competitions, becoming the youngest player to reach five goals for the senior national team since at least September 2006 (19 years and 71 days). Vital. pic.twitter.com/JygQcpga5T
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 15, 2023
The conundrum that Xavi has, if there is one, is the amount of cheap yellow cards the youngster gets during games.
Playing on the edge in every game is part of his immense appeal and, frankly, that shouldn’t be taken away from him.
If that is curbed, he loses something and, therefore, so do Barca. However, it’s accepted that he has to learn, quickly, that a more mature outlook in some situations isn’t only desired, but necessary.
It’s also worth pondering just how much work the player gets through in a game. He is regularly outrunning most other players on the pitch and his engine really is something to marvel at. Does he ever get tired?!
His stats also show that he’s in the upper percentile in many ranking areas.
Barcelona and Spain have a real gem in their ranks and if he stays injury free he is going to become an absolute monster for both.
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