Barcelona 5-2 Real Betis: 4 talking points | LaLiga 2019/2020

FC Barcelona defeated Real Betis 5-2
FC Barcelona defeated Real Betis 5-2

#2 Anssumane Fati becomes the latest teenager to make his Barcelona bow

FC Barcelona v Real Betis - La Liga
FC Barcelona v Real Betis - La Liga

Barcelona is famous for being a developmental turf for the honing of young players' abilities, and this has been made possible over the years due to the effectiveness of their La Masia academy.

La Masia is widely regarded as one of the premier football academies in the world, and numerous players have progressed through the ranks to cement their place in the pantheons of football. Over the last week, Barcelona were hit with an injury crisis in attack, with Messi, Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele all battling different forms of injury.

This left Ernesto Valverde scrambling for options to bolster his attack line, and naturally, reserve players were looked at. Carles Perez was a beneficiary of this mishap, as the 21-year-old was handed a start against Real Betis, and among the substitutes was a certain Anssumane Fati.

Ansu Fati is a 16-year-old winger who was born in Guinea-Bissau and has earned rave reviews with his performances for Barcelona B.

This was the first time he was named to the Barcelona bench in an official match, and indeed, Barcelona had to take permission from his parents, as LaLiga rules forbid the inclusion of players below 18 for late-night matches except with the consent of their parents.

Fati stepped onto the field for his Barcelona debut when he was introduced in place of Carles Perez, and at the age of 16 years 09 months 25 days, became the third-youngest player to represent the Blaugrana.

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