The winger, just turned 19, replaces Gayá in Spain’s list
The world is turning too fast for Alejandro Balde (Barcelona, 2003), the boy destined to replace José Gayá on the Spanish list. In a matter of months he has gone from playing with the Barcelona subsidiary to doing an entire World Cup, an insane journey that doesn’t give him dizziness at the moment.
His great season at Barça is responsible for this distress call. He made his debut with the Barça team more than a year ago, still with Koeman on the bench, in one of the painful defeats against Bayern (0-3). Jordi Alba’s injury offered him the alternative. He then appeared intermittently until an ankle injury hampered his progression.
This season, now without any physical problems, he completely convinces Xavi Hernández. He started third left back, behind Alba and Marcos Alonso, but eventually replaced both. Then emergencies forced his coach to recruit him as a right-back, and the experiment also worked wonders. He has been playing in that position lately, and there he could also play for the national team. That proven versatility is combined with extraordinary speed and physical strength. They are his greatest virtue, although at the La Masía school he also developed his technical profile. Obvious in attack, his greatest weakness, on the other hand, is found in defensive work. During this season, his numbers have skyrocketed: 16 games played, more than 1,000 minutes and three assists.
He joined Barça in 2011 at the age of eight from Espanyol’s youth team. He previously played for Sant Gabriel. His roots are just as explosive as his playing. His father, like Ansu Fati, is from Guinea-Bissau and his mother was born in the Dominican Republic. Those genetics made him try athletics at a very young age, but as soon as a ball hit him, he had no hesitation.
When his parents’ two countries of origin stood out, they tried to count on him. In fact, he’s never actually said no to it, because the speed of events has barely given him time to consider the possibility. His career is led by Gestifute, the powerful representative office of the Portuguese Jorge Mendes. His first professional contract with Barça runs until 2024, with a clause of 500 million. In recent months, the player has received dozens of calls from foreign clubs asking about his situation.
A regular in the lower categories with Spain, his sub-21 debut came just a month and a half ago. When he received the call of the absolute, he was concentrated with them in Seville. After receiving a hug from his teammates and from Luis de la Fuente, the children’s coach, he also left that concentration to finalize the details that will soon make him Luis Enrique’s last soldier. Balde becomes the second youngest international to be called up for Qatar, behind his teammate Gavi.
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.
