The striker was again seen in the shirt of the national team and scored the first goal in Amman
The echoes of Ansu Fati’s great second game as an international still resonate in Valdebebas. He had made his debut a few days ago in Stuttgart against Germany. A good premiere. He fell for Jesús Navas in the second half and put several bites into the German defense. Already in extra time, he shot a good header into the net, which was called off for a foul. That premiere, another one of those risky experiments by Luis Enrique at the time, left a very sweet aftertaste, both with the coach and with the fans. At the time, his potential was known, but the confidence and courage he showed at the Mercedes Benz Arena were unknown to the common fan.
Just three days later he started against Ukraine, in an empty stadium and with an inappropriate cold for the month of September. It’s hard to find such an underwhelming start in the history of the national team than that of the Catalan. He had already caused a penalty kick in the first minute. Then he did and did what he wanted. With a goal and an assist, he had eaten the team then coached by Shevchenko in half an hour, incredulous at such a performance by a teenager.
That even led to talk of a new era for the team led by Ansu, an illusion shattered soon after by the tear in the meniscus that turned the boy’s next two years into an endless ordeal.
When everything seemed to return to normal, Luis Enrique also wanted to restore it for the national team, albeit with reservations. It cost him the very long concentration in June with four matches, of which Ansu did not play a single minute. I wasn’t in for that rush. On the other hand, the Asturian coach left him at home on the return of the summer, despite the fact that Ansu dressed as a Barça player began to add more minutes. That was seen as an almost final blow to ambitions to see the boy grow up in Marinaleda during the World Cup. But the selector’s paths are inscrutable. In the two months that have passed since he slammed the door to the final call between the 26, it’s not that the striker’s performance has improved excessively, but the feeling has grown stronger in Luis Enrique’s mind.
The boy, who played his fifth international match in Amman, 25 months after playing his fourth, thanked the coach for starting with the first goal of the game. The Asturian wanted to see him on the field for ninety minutes, although it ended up being seventy. “Stop referring to Ansu as a player who is injured. He’s just like everyone else,” Luis Enrique exclaimed in the preview when asked about him. The harmony between the two works again. Ansu is at a disadvantage against the rest of the attackers, but if his physique respects him , he can win integers at full speed.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
