For many years now, it has been common practice for the FC Barcelona first team and the U19 squad to travel together on the same charter flight to play their respective matches in the Champions League and Youth League. UEFA schedules the first phase of both competitions so that clubs can ‘economize’ by organizing the matches of both teams in a package.
For example, on the flight to Newcastle, there were 23 players called up by Flick from the first team along with the 20 players selected by Pol Planas, the coach of Juvenil A, to face ‘the Magpies’ a few hours earlier at Newcastle’s sports city in the Youth League debut.
A Large Contingent
In addition to these 43 players, there are coaching staff, directors, first-team player companions, members of Barça’s official channels, etc. Among this swarm of names, the name of a player still of cadet age stood out as he set off for Newcastle.
We are talking about Ebrima Tunkara, a boy of just 15 years, born in 2010, who was called up by Planas and would play in the continental competition against opponents mostly three years older than him.
Ebrima, in a miniclassic, is one of the great pearls of Cadete A / Al-Abtal Cup
Ebrima is one of those names that resonate within the walls of La Masia as a great promise for the future. His father arrived in Cerdanyola from Gambia in 2007. Ebrima was able to travel from the African country to reunite with his father in 2017, at the age of seven. His life changed dramatically.
Origins
Joining Barça in the 2018/19 season and discovered by Albert Puig, it was evident from the beginning that Ebrima had something special. He stands out for his combination of an impressive physical structure and technical ability that makes him a dominant player. On March 15, he turned 15, and there’s still much growth expected. Just for perspective, his father is over two meters tall.
Ebrima is different from Lamine, but on the pitch, he makes everything easier for his teammates
“Ebrima is different from Lamine, but having him on the field makes things much easier for the rest. He provided assurance, improved everything, and always showed up in crucial matches. He improves others. Lamine had flashes. As a coach, you felt calm with Ebrima. Let me give you a fact: with him, in 30 league matches in the Benjamin and 30 with the U13s, we didn’t lose a single game,” Albert Puig told SPORT a few months ago.
The young player has the chance to debut this Thursday in the Youth League while still at Cadete level. Pol Planas and the trainers at La Masia are carefully nurturing and monitoring him. No one wants to rush things, and everyone knows that steps must be carefully taken. Clearly, we are witnessing a different phenomenon.
Discover more from Barça Buzz
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
