About 30 seconds. That’s all that Marc Guiu, 17, needed to make the difference and give FC Barcelona victory against Athletic (1-0). Launched by João Félix, the striker trained at La Masia went to challenge Unai Simon, whom he beat to score his first professional goal with Barça. And yesterday, on social networks and in the media, everyone was asking the same question: but where did this kid come from?
It must be said that unlike Lamine Yamal or Gavi, already somewhat known to the general public even before their debut in the first team, Marc Guiu was a rather discreet and little-known player. The young Catalan, who has been at the club since he was 7 years old, did not even play with the B team yet (he only played 8 minutes), but was still playing with the Barcelona U19s. Certainly, he comes out of a good Euro U17 with La Roja, in which he scored 4 goals and shared the spotlight with Yamal, but outside of youth football specialists, he was not really popular.
An atypical profile
A rather strong attacker (he flirts with the 90 meter mark), he has a profile that has very rarely left the ranks of La Masia in recent years: that of a surface player. A player who is especially used to moving in the opponent’s last meters, he is on the lookout for the slightest exploitable ball in front of the opponent’s cages and is also very dangerous if the opposing defense leaves him space. He shines largely thanks to his physical abilities – he is good in the aerial game, fast and powerful – more than because of his technique. He is also a player who does not give up, constantly pressing, which greatly pleases his coaches.
Xavi, who had already been able to see him at work during the summer, really appreciated his profile. He had also called on him for the duel against Granada before the break, even if he ultimately did not play him. Deco, the club’s new sports director, is also one of his biggest admirers and believes in him a lot. Internally, everyone compares him to Robert Lewandowski, and members of the Barça staff are convinced that he can have a major role to play in the near future. That’s all we wish for him.
