How Barcelona became interested in Gavi at just nine years of age

Gavi has only been around in the Barcelona first team for around 18 months, but he has already surpassed the impact that many players that pass through Camp Nou. For those at La Masia, they have been enjoying his mix of aggression and technique for nearly a decade.

Recently Catalan journalist Joan Capdevila (via Sport) detailed the story of how a tiny kid from Seville ended up in Catalonia. Born and growing up in the neighbourhood of Palacios, Gavi was quickly picked up by Real Betis before moving to Barcelona, and he fits like a glove with the Andalusian fire.

During a tournament in Portugal in April of 2014, Real Betis came up against Barcelona’s own youth side while he was just nine. He would destroy the Blaugrana, scoring four times and giving an assist as Betis put Barcelona to the sword. His former manager, David Sanchez, was on the receiving end.

“Pablo did Pablo, his competitive gene, his intensity, being a player who doesn’t want to lose anything at all, he put all that talent and (willingness to win) at the service of his team. He did not let us have the ball, he recovered it, moved away from the pressure and offered himself. We couldn’t stop him. And the four goals were scored in different ways…”

He would remain at Betis for another year, but Barcelona came back for him the following season.

Initially, his family moved with him to Catalonia, with Gavi being so young. However after just a year, Gavi sent them home. He moved into the La Masia residence to make things easier on his family, who then returned to Seville but drove up to see him at the weekends.

Tags Barcelona Gavi Real Betis
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