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Barcelona have a lot of things going for them following last Sunday’s win over Real Betis at the Camp Nou.
Ernesto Valverde’s side registered their first points of the new season after coasting to a 5-2 win over the LaLiga minnows. Despite falling behind early on, the Catalan giants put up a five-star performance to overturn the deficit.
Goals from Antione Griezmann (double), youngster Carles Perez, Jordi Alba and Arturo Vidal were enough to seal a comfortable win for Barcelona.
The win was the perfect response from the Blaugrana following last week’s disappointing 1-0 loss to Athletic Bilbao. It also comes as a huge relief to manager Ernesto Valverde who has been under pressure in recent months.
More importantly, the performances of La Masia products Carles Perez and Ansu Fati would have delighted the Barca faithful.
Fati replaced fellow La Masia graduate Perez in the 78th minute of the game and the teenager went on to make history with his debut.
Below, we take a look at four things you need to know about La Masia’s latest sensation, Ansu Fati:
#4 Fati is the 2nd youngest Barcelona player to play in LaLiga
It was a matter of pride when Ansu Fati was introduced as a second-half substitute during Barcelona’s win over Real Betis.
At the age of 16 years, 11 months and five days, Fati became the second-youngest player to represent Barcelona in LaLiga.
The record for the Blaugrana’s youngest ever debutant in LaLiga is, however, currently held by Vicenc Martinez Alama.
Fati’s debut was historic and many Barcelona fans would hope for the teenager to develop into a cult hero at the Camp Nou in the years to come.
#3 He suffered a double leg break at age 13
Ansu Fati may have achieved a life-long dream by making his first-team debut at the Camp Nou, however, the youngster has had his fair share of disappointments as well. As young as age 13, he suffered a very serious leg injury.
Fati was ruled out for almost a year after suffering a double leg break during a youth match against Espanyol.
However, the young forward kept his head up and returned strongly after his early injury woes. A year after the horrific injury, Fati was thrust into Barca’s Juvenil A side, where he was converted from a central forward to a left-winger.
Fati has enjoyed a lot of success in his new role and even emerged as the top scorer in the Juvenil A league last season.
#2 Fati turned down Real Madrid for Barcelona
Ansu Fati may still be young, but the 16-year-old once turned down Real Madrid in order to join Barcelona. Fati's parents visited the academies of both teams, but ultimately decided that Barca was the best place for their son.
The player’s father, Bori Fati, later revealed in an interview with Spanish radio station COPE that they chose Barca over Real Madrid because the Blaugrana had a residence for the kids they signed.
"Real Madrid offered us much more money but when I went to Valdebebas [Madrid's training base], I saw that they had no residence for the kids,” Bori said, as quoted by AS.
“Although they would have put us in a house, we chose Barcelona because they did have residence for the boys.”
It’s fair to say the decision to join Barcelona has so far paid off, with Fati making his debut last Sunday for the Catalan giants.
#1 He played for Sevilla before joining Barcelona
Ansu Fati was born in Guinea Bissau and spent six years in the African country before moving to Spain. In 2009, he joined the youth set-up of local side CDF Herrera, before moving to Sevilla after a year.
After two years at the Andalusian club, Fati joined Barcelona on the advice of his parents. Although Sevilla wanted to keep him, the Catalan giants eventually secured the teenager’s signature.
Sevilla's sporting director, Monchi, tried to offer more money than Barca in a bid to keep the talented youngster, but the player had his mind set on joining the Blaugrana.
Fati has spent the last seven years at La Masia, developing into one of the club’s highly-rated youngsters. It is also important to note that the 16-year-old made his first-team debut for Barca despite never featuring for the club’s reserve side.
