The numbers behind Ilaix Moriba’s Barcelona first-team debut | OneFootball

Ilaix Moriba has long been touted as one of the hottest talents coming out of La Masia in some time. Strong, intelligent and technically proficient, the central midfielder has been spoken about as operating in a similar mould to Paul Pogba.

Still just a teenager, Ilaix made his senior debut for Barcelona last night in the Copa del Rey against Cornella. As Mundo Deportivo noted, the youngster left samples of his talent on the third-tier pitch that hints at a bright future.

It wasn’t an easy game to debut in given Cornella’s level of performance, with the Segunda B side playing out of their skin in a bid to cause another upset following on from knocking current La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid out in the previous round.

Despite this, Ilaix performed well. He met Cornella’s physical challenge, recovering the ball seven times, although he misplaced eleven of his attempted 50 passes. He did, however, commit five fouls, the most of anyone in a Barcelona shirt, hinting at his aggression and will-to-win.