FC Barcelona continue to depend on their youth and give them more prominence to allow them to flourish. Knowing that they have their financial restrictions to deal with, La Blaugrana are hopeful that their alternative methods will bear fruit. Fortunately for Barcelona, their youth academy remains one of the best in the world.
Beyond just the new household names such as those of Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Gavi, and other youngsters, more and more new names are starting to emerge as well. Some players will understandably take longer than others to find their way to the first team, but others have already found that luxury.
Two such names are those of 16-year-old cousins Toni and Guille Fernandez. Very promising players from the quarry, many fans of La Blaugrana will already have heard of them and also just how impactful they have been thanks to their great footballing qualities.
Both players now have even received call-ups to the first team games, first against Monaco in the Champions League and then recently against Villarreal in La Liga. However, it would seem that Toni Fernandez ended up avoiding a rather unfortunate accident in this recent game.
As pointed out by Mundo Deportivo, the young 16-year-old La Masia gem was trying to find his way back to his seat on the bench at La Ceramica, and his only shortcut was through Hansi Flick’s seat. Like any player his age, his carelessness shined through as he mistakenly stepped on Flick’s seat while making his way to his own.
Unfortunately for him, the German tactician came around shortly after and his eyes went straight towards the mark left on his seat. Glancing up at Toni Fernandez to ask if he did this, something that could have possibly frustrated the Barcelona coach, but luckily that was not to be the case.
The youngster was quick to innocently deny his fault and Hansi Flick’s joking reaction was there for all to see in the now-viral video. He ended up cleaning it himself and letting the young Fernandez get away with his little mistake. Guille, his cousin, was sitting right there next to him and could not help but laugh at the scene in front of him.
🎥 – The only way Toni Fernández could return to his seat was by stepping on Hansi Flick’s seat. The coach noticed it and then his reaction is worth watching. 😅pic.twitter.com/L96fbx4wHm
— Barça Buzz (@Barca_Buzz) September 24, 2024
A small incident, but one that clearly shows that Hansi Flick is treating his players as the children that they are rather than as hardened professionals. His excitement when Lamine Yamal does something special is already quite apparent, but light-hearted moments like these are another great example of it.
