78 minutes into FC Barcelona‘s head-to-head with Athletic Club on Sunday night, Barça coach Xavi Hernández looked to the bench for a way to break through a resilient Athletic defence.
He made a double change: Alejandro Balde and Fermín López came off for Marcos Alonso and Marc Guiu. Barça had possession. Iñigo Martínez flicked forward a pass that broke the midfield line. João Félix received the ball and with a sensational piece of one-touch control played a through ball to Marc Guiu, who had just come on, to leave him one-on-one with Spain and Athletic Club number one keeper Unai Simón.
It took the 17-year-old just two touches – one to play the ball onto his right side, and another to finish into the back of the net – to go down in FC Barcelona history as the scorer of the fastest goal by a debutant in club history.
Guiu is a centre-forward who plays for the Juvenil `A’ side of Barça’s youth team, joining La Masia in 2013 as a seven-year-old. 10 years later, he is a classic number nine: physically imposing (1.87m), powerful with intensity and finishing ability. He’s the Juvenil A side’s top scorer this season with five goals and has already been handed a debut with FC Barcelona‘s reserve side by coach Rafael Marquez.
He has also stood out for the Spanish national team’s youth ranks, playing alongside teammate Lamine Yamal at the U17 European Championships last season and scoring four goals. But nothing prepared him, or Barça’s fans, for what happened on Sunday night after a call-up and first senior appearance for the senior side.
After the match he was on cloud nine: “I have dreamed so much about this moment,” he said. “Many nights, and at many moments. We are always prepared; we do a very good job in the lower ranks and when we get the call-up we go with everything we’ve got.”
He’s the latest in a long line of rising young talents which have stood out for FC Barcelona in recent seasons, cementing their reputation as one of the most exciting young sides in European football right now. Alongside Pedri, Gavi, Fermín López, Alejandro Balde and Lamine Yamal, Guiu’s stellar debut proves that the future is bright for Barça.
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