Barcelona will look at Euro 2024 as a major stepping stone years down the road. The Spanish club has hit a dreary spell of seasons over the last five years. The one saving grace for the club has been the youth revolution. Andres Iniesta, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Lionel Messi are gone, as are their Champions League-winning talents. The club has turned to young talents, and Euro 2024 has shown that they have the ability to be world-class talents.
Barcelona had four players on the Spain squad at Euro 2024. Fermin Lopez made a substitute appearance in the midfield in the final group-stage game against Albania. Ferran Torres featured primarily as a substitute, but he scored in his only start of the tournament, which was also the game against Albania. Pedri was a starter for Spain through the round of quarterfinals. The midfielder has already proven himself as one of the best players for Spain and one of the best midfielders in the world. His injury was untimely for Spain, and this tournament should have been a showcase of his abilities. Instead, a crunching tackle from Toni Kroos added to his injury woes.
Instead, the priority fell to Lamine Yamal. There was no doubting the teenager’s ability with Barcelona. He scored important goals for the Catalan side in his debut season. That included a game-winning goal against Mallorca and a brace against Granada. Lamine Yamal took that to Euro 2024 and showed that he is, at the age of 17, world-class. The young player of the tournament had a case to be the best player at the tournament. His four assists were the best among all players at Euro 2024. He had a goal contribution in each of the four knockout-stage games. He took on defenders like Luke Shaw and Theo Hernandez to great success.
As a winger, confidence is everything. Barcelona has suffered from players caving under the mounting pressure of fans expecting far too much. Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann were good players at previous clubs. Each of them floundered at Barcelona. Oftentimes, it was not their fault, as fans’ criticism compounded issues. Now, though, Lamine Yamal has the confidence to thrive at Barcelona.
While those four players can be stepping stones for Barcelona in the future, the Catalans should not stop there. The Spain squad would have also included Gavi, who was still recuperating from a major knee injury almost a year ago. Pau Cubarsi could also have been featured in Luis de la Fuente’s squad. What this means is that Barcelona is in good hands. Young hands, sure, but there is a reason Luis de la Fuente would pick players like Fermin Lopez and Ferran Torres. Their ability speaks for itself.
Joan Laporta, the Barcelona President, should not stop there. Ample reports link Nico Williams to Barcelona in a transfer from Athletic Club. The winger plays on the other side to Lamine Yamal. Combined, the two formed the most formidable attack at the Euros. Both are pacy and skilled. Importantly, though, they worked so well together. In the Euro 2024 Final against England, Lamine Yamal marauded into the middle of the field to get on his favored left foot. After baiting in the defense, he slotted the ball to Williams, who scored just seconds into the second half. They have an understanding of one another and how they play. That is something Barcelona has missed for years, instead relying on the individuality of players that reaches back to Messi salvaging results for an undermanned Barcelona.
Those days can be gone, if Barcelona is smart with its young players. Supporters of the club must remain patient with a team that has players proven with ability on a top level.
PHOTOS: IMAGO.
