Víctor Barberá could have already played his last game for Barcelona’s subsidiary as he refused to renew his contract with Barcelona and has been removed from the squad dynamics, while also being replaced by Ángel Alarcón. Let’s talk about the young striker’s profile of one of the best #9 that La Masia developed in recent years, who will also leave the club in the summer for free and join Club Brugge.
Description
Víctor Barberá was born on the 20th of August, 2004 in the city of Barcelona. Víctor started playing football at the age of 8, starting in a small local club CE Sant Gabriel, before joining the famous CF Damm academy in 2019.
He wasn’t there for long. After one season at Damm, he joined La Masia in 2020, joining Juvenil B side. In his first season at La Masia, he impressed as a striker. He was the top scorer of the team with 11 goals scored. For the 21/22 season, he was promoted to the Juvenil A side. There he exploded scoring 23 goals and also picking up 8 assists in Division de Honor Juvenil. Becoming not only the team’s top scorer but also the league’s top scorer in the same season, in which Juvenil A won Copa Campeones. Completing a domestic double. In 22/23 he was supposed to continue with Juvenil A. But he quickly caught the attention of Rafa Marquez. The coach called him up to be in the dynamics of Barça Atlètic.
This season so far, he scored 2 goals in 1 Juvenil A game he participated in Division de Honor. While playing for the U19 side he scored a hat-trick against Bayern U19 in the UEFA Youth League. In total, he scored 7 goals in 5 UYL games. Víctor didn’t stop scoring and he continues to do so for the subsidiary. While still adapting to professional level he’s the team’s top scorer with 8 goals, also having an assist. A goal machine that is not only firing for the clu. But also for Spain U19, where he has 4 goals and 2 assists in 492 minutes of playing time.
Playing style
Similar player: Robert Lewandowski
Víctor Barberá is a right-footed striker. His best attributes as a striker includes his off-the ball movement and his instinct for goals, be it inside the box or outside it. Victor is an incredible finisher, a real scoring machine at youth level, but outside that, he’s also a player that is capable of creating chances for his teammates. Be it by dropping deep looking for the ball and opening space for midfielders to run into, by attracting opposition defenders. Or by his link-up play with short-mid range passes, that can be seen via flicks or flair in his play.
Victor in his link-up play also tends to make quick decisions to release the ball to his teammates. He often uses his body to shield the ball. howing his ability to play with his back at the goal, thanks to his size, strength and overall physical condition. Being comfortable in tight spaces, thanks to his ball control, technique, agility and footwork is a big part of his weaponry. He’s a player that also combines his pace to run into space, and intelligence to position himself for scoring opportunities. Victor is also capable of scoring goals with his weaker foot, also being a real threat in the air, scoring a few headers in the last few seasons.
Future at the club
With Victor’s contract expiring in 2023, Barcelona approached the player to renew the contract. However, both sides were not able to reach an agreement. And as of January, he was allowed to negotiate with any club to join on a free deal. By the looks of it will be Club Brugge and he will join the Belgian club in the summer. As far as I know, everything is already signed between the player and his new club. And only the official announcement is missing. It’s sad that Barcelona are losing one of the most talented strikers that La Masia managed to develop in recent years. But if he will be able to adapt to professional football in the next few years, we could see him return to the club in the future.
Potential Rating: 9/10
