The young stars continue to develop and improve within the walls of Barcelona. La Blaugrana are renowned for their youth development and it seems that La Masia has no intentions of stopping that train any time soon.
Many talented young starlets have emerged in recent times. Forwards like Lamine Yamal and Marc Guiu have come accompanied by midfield talents such as Fermin Lopez. These technically gifted players have all managed to impress Xavi Hernandez at one point or the other.
Defensive prodigy
However, one area of the field where Barcelona is not particularly renowned for producing prodigious talents is the defense. Yet, it seems that even that defensive lack of talents may soon be corrected by a new face.
As highlighted by SPORT, a name that is gaining prominence within the youth ranks of Barcelona is that of Raul Esposito. A central defender by specialty, the player is still just 14 years old and currently represents the Cadet B team.
Why does he stands out?
His primary traits are his defensive intelligence, positional awareness and technical mastery. However, one particular attribute of his that many are focusing on is his drive to compete and do so in a valiant manner.
A player that plays with ‘pride’, Exposito is not one to simply let his man get away. The youngster fights till his last breath and is prepared to be his team’s last line of defense. While his teammates create and progress, he chooses to linger and anticipate the movements of the opponents and any counters they can conjure up.
Having arrived in the 2016/17 season, the player already has eight seasons with Barcelona under his belt. His progression continues to astound, and he is seen by many within Barcelona to be the club’s strongest defensive student alongside Pau Cubarsi.
These defensive prodigies are not often seen at Barcelona, but they tend to be quite special when they are noticed. Exposito, for instance, also offers a progressive style to him. With an eye for goal, he is a player that is not afraid to contribute goals or attempts at the opponent whenever the tactical outlay looks best to him.
Reminiscent of Puyol himself
Compared to legendary Barcelona player Carles Puyol already, the starlet has big shoes to fill. While the ‘Raul’ name may hold historical significance in Real Madrid, this particular iteration of that name belongs and pledges his loyalty solely to FC Barcelona.
