Barcelona director not surprised by 17-year-old’s debut goal for club

A certain Marc Guiu has been in the news since last night, and why he wouldn’t be. With Robert Lewandowski unavailable, Xavi had an unlikely offensive setup comprising Ferran Torres, Joao Felix and Fermin Lopez.

While the display was promising from the trio, with Torres even hitting the post once, the end result was not there. Eventually, it was Guiu who scored from his first touch after coming on to replace Lopez in the 79th minute.

The 17-year-old’s goal proved to be the differential as Barcelona closed the gap with league leaders Real Madrid, with only a point separating the teams.

Deco not surprised at the event

While the world is currently revolving around Guiu, Barcelona’s sporting director Deco is not really startled at the event, claims SPORT. This is because the former midfielder had already highlighted Guiu’s name in red on their agenda months in advance.

Guiu is particularly unique because the profile he brings is a dying breed in football. Standing at 6’1” tall, he is a classic number 9 that La Masia has produced in a long time.

As such, La Masia has always produced ball-playing players but Guiu’s case is extremely different. In fact, his style of play can be anticipated by the fact that he idolizes Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Barcelona value Guiu

This Sunday, the 17-year-old left a strong impression, defying his stature by demonstrating an ability to exploit open spaces with his remarkable stride.

Those at the youth system say that Guiu carries a clear vision of the goal in his mind and swiftly translates it into action, a skill he has consistently displayed throughout his development in the Barcelona youth system.

Drawing a parallel, Guiu’s journey resembles that of Icardi, La Masia’s last classic number ‘9’. Mauro’s talents might not have received the recognition they deserved, but within the Football Area, led by the guidance of Deco, Guiu’s unique attributes are highly valued. 

Indeed, when facing teams employing a compact defensive formation, Guiu’s style of play will not be of much use, but this is an area of improvement. 

In any way, Guiu emerges as a significant offensive threat when it comes to capitalizing on crosses, serving as a valuable option when opportunities within the central channel are limited.