The Masia is going through one of its most splendid periods in history. The workforce of Hansi Flick thus has several important players from the Barcelona Academy in its ranks, like Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Pau Cubarsi, Gavi, Marc Casado, Marc Bernal or Alejandro Baldé. Just that. And in the coming months, new young players are expected among the A, like the winger Dani Rodriguez (19), or cousins Fernandez, Toni (16, winger) and Guille (16, midfielder). Masia trainers and observers are therefore out of sacred phenomena, and there is one who is already talking about him despite his 15 years celebrated in March. It is Ebrima Tunkara, an attacking midfielder who evolves with the U16 of the Catalan club. Inevitably, it is already compared to Lamine Yamal, even if it evolves in a rather different register, mainly more axial.
Born in Gambia and arrived in Spain at his 7th anniversary where his parents arrived in search of a better life, he was quickly spotted by the Scouts du Barça, while playing with Cerdanyola, the team of his village. And he quickly caused a sensation. “I was told that there was a very good player in Cerdanyola, but they did not know when he could start. We supervised another kid called Unai. And I went to see him in a Cerdanyola – Vilasar de Mar match, and as by chance, it was the first match where Ebrima could play. After 10 minutes I took my phone and I called Marc Serra, football manager 7 from Barça, and Aureli Altimira, that of football at 11, and I said to them: “It's a dinguerie”. Normally I never call after 10 minutes, but it was crazy, it was so superior ”said Albert Puig, Masia trainer, in the newspaper Sport recently.
A rare profile at the Masia
A few months after his arrival in Spain, Tunkara was already at the Masia. But his adaptation was a little complicated at the beginning, since the 8 -year -old child did not yet completely master the language, and was not used to the relatively cold temperatures of Catalonia. But little by little, well framed by the staff of the Masia, the left -hander quickly found himself like a fish in the water and quickly impressed everyone in the Barcelona Academy. He was outclassed each year, sometimes playing against adversaries with 2 or 3 years more than him. Its physical qualities, namely its power and speed, and its technical quality make it a very complete and lethal player in the opposing half. He is also a player who projects very quickly forward and who ends the actions in the rival surface, thanks to his huge volume of play. If he is often compared to Lamine Yamal as cited above, his style looks rather like that of a Yaya Touré for example. Some also compare it to Paul Pogba in Catalonia.
And it is a rather rare profile in Barcelona. Albert Puig, the trainer cited above, also explained to Sport That Lamine Yamal is a player who will rather make differences individually and decide the match alone on shine, while Tunkara is more constant and will rather make the team shine. He also unveiled an impressive statistic: in U9 and U13, Barça has lost no match (60 in total) when it was on the field. Already international with the youth teams of Spain, being even captain among the U14s, the sources of the Masia indicate that Tunkara is also distinguished by its exemplary behavior, its modesty and its kindness, as well as by its professionalism at such a little advanced age.
A brilliant future?
A little handicapped by physical seeds with ankle in the first part of the season, it evolves at an excellent level currently and everything indicates that it will soon start with the U19. Next year, it is even very likely that he will play UEFA Youth League with the Catalan club, before possibly considering a promotion among the A. What is certain is that he has already caught the eye of Hansi Flick, as the local press indicates. It must be said that all observers are unanimous as to his talent, which is not just a simple physical superiority over the opponent but also to his big technical palette which allows him to make differences and to dribble easily. All, with this touch of the Masia that makes him play intelligently and as a team.
He can also evolve on one side or at the forefront of the attack, positions where he has already helped this season. There is also a fact that is taken into account by the staff of the Masia: his father measures almost 2 meters, and it is very likely that Tunkara is approaching this size once her growth is finished. Suffice to say that once adult, his physical superiority may be even more impressive. Recently, he signed with the agency of Pini Zahavi, Gol International, who is also the agent of Hansi Flick and who is very close to Joan Laporta. A sign that in Barcelona, everyone is convinced that a brilliant future awaits him. But as we know, shining among young people is one thing, doing it in the pro world, is another. If some young people have no problem shining on the upper floor, others, however, have more trouble …
