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Offline Flex

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Spain Football Thread.
« on: September 04, 2020, 03:55:16 AM »
Barca wonderkid Fati becomes Spain's youngest player in 84 years with international bow
Yahoo News


Barcelona's teenage star Ansu Fati became Spain's youngest debutant since 1936 when he took the pitch against Germany on Thursday.

Fati, 17, was one of the few bright spots in a Barca season marred by poor results on the pitch - which led to the club finishing the campaign without a single trophy - and instability away from Camp Nou.

The youngster made his debut at just 16 years and 298 days on August 25, 2019 against Betis, and went on to make 33 appearances in all competitions in his maiden season, scoring eight goals.

He was subsequently called up to Luis Enrique's squad for the latest international window, the first since the coronavirus pandemic caused much of European football to close back in March.

And with Spain tied 0-0 in their UEFA Nations League clash against Germany, Fati was thrown into the action after half time to help sharpen the Roja's attack.

The forward is aged 17 years and 308 days, making him the second-youngest footballer ever to play for Spain in the nation's history.

Fati additionally became the 800th full Spain international as he replaced veteran Jesus Navas at the break, as well as the first Roja member to have been born in Guinea-Bissau.

Not since Angel Zubieta had La Roja fielded such a young player at senior level.

Zubieta, who played much of his career in Argentina for San Lorenzo after fleeing his native Bilbao during the Spanish Civil War, debuted at 17 years and 284 days against Czechoslovakia in April 1936, the first of just two appearances he made for Spain prior to the outbreak of the conflict.

The podium is completed by another player with Barca ties; Bojan Krkic, who in 2008 made his international debut aged 18 years and 13 days.

Fati was unable to save his country from Nations League defeat, as Germany struck through Timo Werner in the second half to take a 1-0 victory.

As well as the Barcelona youngster two further Spain players received their first taste of senior international football: Manchester City's Ferran Torres and highly rated Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino.



The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Deeks

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Re: Spain Football Thread.
« Reply #1 on: September 05, 2020, 12:03:16 AM »
Congrats and Good Luck.

Offline Flex

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Re: Spain Football Thread.
« Reply #2 on: September 06, 2020, 03:37:09 PM »
Fati breaks 95-year record to become Spain's youngest goalscorer
YAHOO NEWS


Ansu Fati became Spain's youngest goalscorer in history with his strike in the first half of Sunday's clash with Ukraine in Madrid.

The Barcelona forward marked his first international start with a fine effort to make it 3-0 before half-time in the Nations League match being played at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.

Aged 17 years and 311 days, Fati became the youngest player to net for Spain. The rising star broke the record that was set in 1925 by Juan Errazquin, who was 18 years and 344 days old when he struck three times against Switzerland.

It was the culmination of a fine opening period for Fati, who also won the penalty for Sergio Ramos to open the scoring, with a looping header from the Real Madrid defender then doubling Spain's lead.

Fati made his senior international debut off the bench in Thursday's 1-1 draw against Germany.

The Guinea-Bissau-born winger was 10 when he joined Barcelona’s youth system and made his senior debut in August 2019. He then became the club’s youngest ever scorer when he struck against Osasuna less than a week later.

He ended the season with eight goals from 33 games in all competitions for the Camp Nou side.

He is currently tied to the club until 2022, but president Josep Maria Bartomeu said last month that he would like to hand him a contract for life.

“He’s essential for the future of the club. Ansu is not for sale. He represents the academy the players come out of, learn from and consolidate themselves in the first team,” he said .

“He’s unique because he jumped from the youth team to the first team. There are not many players like him and Barcelona cannot sell him, even if it would be an economic solution for the club in the times of this pandemic.

“At no time have we considered selling him. On the contrary: what we have to do is help him in his growth and get him to sign a new contract in the future, so that he plays here for life.”

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Deeks

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Re: Spain Football Thread.
« Reply #3 on: September 07, 2020, 11:47:48 AM »
Saw the game. He was decent. Nice to see the coach give a full run. He is ready from prime time, but still a work in progress. He score an excellent goal. All I can say is that he is a lucky yute. All the stars fell in place for him. Do well, make Your parents and country proud. Vaya Con Dios!!!!!

Offline Andre

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Re: Spain Football Thread.
« Reply #4 on: September 07, 2020, 01:07:59 PM »
I doh get La Liga again since my cable company drop beinsport but appearently this youth is the next big Barca star. We go see...

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: Spain Football Thread.
« Reply #5 on: September 07, 2020, 07:41:54 PM »
While all of this is happening (no football) I encourage the FA and the Government of T&T to work out a facility for expediting player passport applications (for both first-time applicants and prior/current holders). The arrangement should be a model for other sporting disciplines that have identified players to represent the national team. It is unacceptable as a matter of public policy that persons in these categories can't or won't be accommodated with dispatch. 

As an example, the Spanish government assisted in the fast tracking of Ansu Fati's passport so that he could be called up for WC and UEFA age group competition. In the end, for other reasons, he wasn't included in the squad but that was an internal team and federation decision.

Considering that Fati's citizenship eligibility was not predicated on descent, we should be even more sensitive to accelerating player applications based on descent grounds.

Aside from the above, Spain is disposed to embracing him in a more encompassing way than Italy incorporated and engaged Balotelli. That by itself is wininng proposition.

I think he'll do better than Bojan with ease, particularly as long as Barça finds coaches whose sense of a playing identity is not inconsistent with what La Masia inculcates in players coming through the ranks. 

And that's probably enhanced if he doesn't have to keep packing his bags as say ... Odegaard has had to do.

He's passed every test presented him,  so it's really going to come down to confidence and support.

 

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