"There must be no club politics, just bet on a player and empower him, say 'let's go for him',” said former Barcelona youth coach Albert Benaiges. He might not have said that on many of the previously promoted stars the club have encouraged, but he couldn’t dare hold back those words when referring to the club’s next jewel, Carles Aleñá.
As a four-year-old, Aleñá witnessed Rivaldo leaving the Camp Nou to join then-European giants AC Milan. The Brazilian's move angered young Aleñá and he demanded he be called the same name – in the hope that the club and the city didn't necessarily have to lose someone that talented. After all, he was born in Mataro, the capital of the comarca of Maresme, one of Catalonia’s most scenic lands.
Also Read: Andres Iniesta is Barcelona's best player says Carles Alena
Only his pronunciation of 'Rivaldo’ came out all wrong. Even now, when his youth teammates, family members and close friends recall the incident, it brings about a wide smile on his face. 'Pivaldo’, he called himself. Furious and determined.
Fast forward fifteen years and that fire still burns. Only this time, he isn’t just a local kid. Alena joined La Masia – Barcelona's famed youth academy – aged eight and has since cemented his future. "I hope to continue many years at Barcelona," he's said often. And judging by how he's viewed by both his current and former coaches, it doesn't look like destiny is drawing up a change of plans.
The heir apparent
They say we choose our heroes; not assigned, not inherited, and not perverted upon, but a choice. As a young artist, you draw admiration from a fellow experienced statesman. As someone who's into football, you'd choose and relate to someone who occupies the same area of the pitch you love most.
And while his love for Rivaldo ran deep, his true hero was always Andres Iniesta. An artist in his own right. "Iniesta is my idol, he's spectacular, he's the best player Barcelona has. He makes the difference," he said ever so passionately. That quote spoke as much about Aleñá as it did about the now 32-year-old.
Also Read: 8 La Masia academy graduates you probably did not know of
A dribbler in his heart, Aleñá enjoys football with the ball at his feet. That’s not something you’d usually associate as the strongest point for an attacking midfielder within the Catalan system. For all the damage Iniesta has caused in his career, his off-the-ball movement is what’s his strongest weapon.
Aleñá will realise that in time. At the moment, however, he remains Barcelona B’s strongest asset with the ball at his feet. But it isn’t just the position or the technicality of his play that many liken to that of Iniesta’s, but the smaller behavioural patterns that he often unknowingly pulls off on the field.
He loves to dribble in from the right: something Iniesta loved doing as a youngster. He loves beating players by running around them: something Iniesta loves doing even now. And he celebrates an assist just as much as he would a goal: a mindset-of-sorts Iniesta has heralded.
With all the talk of his pace and quick feet replacing Lionel Messi in the future, it's his vision, awareness of space and that cheeky outside-of-the-boot through ball that will see him replace Andres Iniesta instead.
'The light at the end of the tunnel is the pitch at the Camp Nou’
Aleñá is no more a Barcelona B player at the end of the current season. He'll no longer clean his boots of the grass from the Mini Estadi; he'll no longer share the dressing room with his peers – all elder than him but one – and he'll no longer look up to Iniesta.
Why look up to him when he's sitting right opposite you? Time is often the enemy but in Aleñá’s case, it’s his best friend. Having worked wholeheartedly to get to this moment, time is finally paying off. And Barcelona will have their Rivaldo back.
With a first-team contract, Aleñá will appear more and more often in Barcelona’s games. Luis Enrique for his part has remained a fan and offers the youngster the chance to go and show what he’s capable of when possible.
(Video Courtesy: miroP10 YouTube Channel)
His slender frame and fragile physique mean he isn’t yet ready to walk out on to the pitch as often as he’d like. But Benaiges, his former youth coach, has observed an improvement in the youngster’s body and his use of it on the field; in time, he’ll learn the dark arts – if you will – of taking on someone that’s twice his size.
All the key elements are falling in place for him to inject some much needed young blood into the current Barcelona side. Their poor run of form is his gain. Andres Iniesta’s age is his gain, Real Madrid’s upward trajectory is his gain.
The light at the end of the tunnel is the pitch at the Camp Nou for young Carles Aleñá.
