The “
Show Gavi!
“As headlined by the Catalan daily Sport on its front page on Thursday, the nugget of FC Barcelona has been on display since the start of the international window.
“
He again offered an exhibition of play and led the selection to triumph
” against Switzerland (1-0), praised the newspaper.
To discover
League of Nations: group draw ... which opponents for the Blues?
Nations League: schedule and results
At just 17, Gavi has distilled drops of his immense talent, but according to coach Luis Enrique, he still has some under his feet.
"
I have the feeling that he is still an unknown
", underlined Luis Enrique Friday after the draw against Portugal (1-1), suggesting that people had not yet seen anything of his genius.
“
He doesn't just run, he fights, and defensively he's great.
In attack too, he is good, he scores, he can kick with both feet...
", enumerated Luis Enrique, evoking "
a unique player.
Nobody can say that he doesn't like Gavi
”, hammered the coach again on Wednesday evening after the success in Geneva.
SEE ALSO -
The best of Gavi in training with FC Barcelona
Laces undone and tongue against cheek
Known for playing with the laces undone and with his tongue pressed against his cheek, the young player from Andalusia continues to break club and selection records for precociousness.
On October 6, 2021, at 17 years and 62 days, he became the youngest player in history to play for Spain, in the semi-finals of the League of Nations won against the very recent European champions Italy ( 2-1), thus beating a record dating back almost a century: until then, the youngest player to have worn the red tunic was Ángel Zubieta Redondo in 1936, at 17 years and 284 days, during a friendly against Czechoslovakia (loss 1-0).
And on Sunday in Seville, in the first leg against the Czech Republic, he became the youngest scorer in the history of La Roja by scoring the 2-2 goal, at 17 years and 304 days,
It's amazing that at his age he is able to understand and manage such complex game concepts, assimilate so many things
Murat Yakin
In selection, Gavi, who was called up to the first team without going through the under-21 category, "
can deploy all his repertoire, because he enjoys more responsibilities than at Barça
", estimated Josep María Artells in a column published on June 4 in the Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo.
The young midfielder, often aligned in attack by Xavi at the end of the season, stood out in the three previous matches played by La Roja in this 2022-2023 Nations League: he scored a goal on his land , at Benito-Villamarin, against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal (2-2), and was one of the most combative players on the pitch in Prague and Geneva.
"
It's amazing that at his age, he is able to understand and manage such complex game concepts, assimilate so many things... He's only 17!
exclaimed Swiss coach Murat Yakin at a pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
With Ansu Fati and Pedri (currently injured), Pablo Martín Paéz Gaviria, known as Gavi, is one of the prodigies who aspire to carry FC Barcelona and the Spanish selection in the coming years.
In the wake of his two young colleagues, Gavi, 18 on August 5, is still in discussions with the Blaugrana club to extend his contract, which ends on June 30, 2023. In the meantime, the young prodigy will still have an opportunity to dazzle Spain in the second leg against the Czech Republic in Malaga on Sunday.