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Luis Enrique, the head coach of Spain, waxed lyrical about the up-and-coming Barcelona midfielder Gavi after his stellar display for the national team on Sunday.
The 17-year-old made his 10th appearance in the national colours of Spain after coming on from the bench in a 2-0 win over Czech Republic. Playing a crucial role in the second goal, the Barcelona wonderkid caught the eye of the 52-year-old tactician.
"He’s an erupting volcano. It is very difficult not to fall in love with Gavi. Today, he came out and he was different. Any fan wants to see him play," Enrique told TVE.
When asked about Gavi's overall growth as a player, Enrique added:
"He picks up everything very quickly."
Gavi, officially known as Pablo Martín Páez Gavira, enjoyed his breakout campaign at Barcelona in 2021/22. The nimble-footed midfielder featured in 46 matches across all competitions for the Blaugrana, scoring twice and assisting six goals in the process.
He also became the youngest player in history to make his debut and score his first goal for Spain, and is now impressing in the UEFA Nations League.
Apart from Gavi, four other Barcelona players — Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Ferran Torres and Eric Garcia — also featured for Spain against the Czech Republic. Ansu Fati, on the other hand, remained on the bench.
La Roja in the UEFA Nations League
After two back-to-back victories against Switzerland and Czech Republic, Spain moved to the top of UEFA Nations League A Group 2. The Luis Enrique-coached side are on eight points after four matches, just one point ahead of second-placed Portugal.
Spain will resume their UEFA Nations League campaign again in September, playing their two final matches against Switzerland (September 24) and Portugal (September 27).
Gavi and the rest of the Spain squad will now relish a well-deserved break before starting their pre-season preparations with their respective clubs.
