‘He is one of us’… Luis de la Fuente has huge words of praise for €90m Barcelona star | OneFootball

FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team have had a symbiotic relationship for a long time now. La Roja almost always have a number of players from the Catalan club in their squad, especially during their immensely successful period.

The period between 2008-12 when Spain dominated international football saw a squad that was mostly an extension of the Barcelona team from back then. Similarly, the Euros winning squad back in the summer also saw a number of players from the Catalan club.

La Masia has been one of the biggest talent production lines for Spanish football, especially in recent times, with players like Ansu Fati, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Pau Cubarsi, Ansu Fati, Dani Olmo, Marc Casado and Oscar Mingueza among others all getting a chance in the senior Spain setup.

One player who is a favorite of La Roja’s squad is Gavi, who has been out injured for the better part of the last year. The midfielder was a part of Spain’s Euro-winning celebrations despite not being fit and has only recently made a recovery to first-team football after an ACL injury.

Luis de la Fuente has understandably not called Gavi up for the current international break but as quoted by SPORT, he had huge words of praise for the €90m-rated star. He said:

“Gavi is a beloved player at his club and the national team. We demonstrated this during the celebration of the Euros, he is one of us. He is very important on a personal level because he is very beloved, on an emotional level because he has an energy that is contagious and on a football level because he is very good.”

“I celebrated the day he returned as if it were a party and I hope he has this health to continue improving. It’s just a matter of time to regain the level. With his character, it won’t take much. He is a tough, determined person and will again be the Gavi we all know.”

Gavi is one of Barcelona and Spain’s most important players. The club is working hard behind the scenes to renew his contract at the club, which expires in 2026. There are unlikely to be any issues on the negotiation front as no player bleeds Blaugrana more than the midfielder.

As he continues to build towards full fitness, one should see Gavi starting more and more as time goes on. Hansi Flick will be planning to integrate him and make him play more minutes with every passing game and it is important to handle his recovery with care.

As De La Fuente says, Gavi’s return to his former level is a ‘matter of time’. Let’s wait and see how things play out for the La Masia graduate in the weeks to come and when he makes a return to the Spain setup in the future.