The emergence of new talents at FC Barcelona continues to surprise no one given the precedents that have been established already. Such is the beauty of La Masia and the club’s emphasis on youth. However, not every aspiring talent at Barcelona happens to find the same kind of path to the first team.
While there are often some notable surprises who end up becoming key players for the Barcelona first team out of nowhere, there are also others who continue to work in the shadows and refine their own technique before they get the opportunity to shine at the biggest stage of them all.
Even as Barcelona continues to have the likes of Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi to negate the ordinary, there are others who have shown that a gradual path is not always the worst one either. The likes of Marc Casado and Fermin Lopez are great examples of this.
However, there is another player in Barcelona Atletic who is following in the footsteps of the players mentioned at the end. Pau Prim, an 18-year-old talent within the Barcelona quarry, is a player many consider to be the next big thing brewing within the youth ranks of the club.
Unfortunately for him, the emergence of Marc Bernal possibly put a great stop to his growth in recent times. Due to Bernal’s prominence, he was given a secondary role within Barcelona Atletic last season and even had to redirect his efforts towards the Juvenil teams due to the crucial role his teammate was playing.
According to SPORT, however, this approach could actually end up being beneficial to him and it is already proving to be quite progressive for him in terms of his development as he focused on refining his own technique in recent seasons.
With Marc Bernal now injured and also more of a part of the first team rather than the subsidiary, Prim’s role under Albert Sanchez has become much more prominent. One of the leaders of the team and a player who has been a constant for Barcelona Atletic this season, his presence is ever-present for his team right now.
However, his progression towards the first team remains slow and steady. Still waiting on a call-up from Hansi Flick, the young midfielder has the qualities to excel at the highest level and the praise from his current manager may be enough to back up that statement:
“He’s a Barça-style ‘6’ who understands positional play and spatial awareness. What we asked of him was to step up competitively, to believe in himself, and I think he’s doing just that. I’m very happy with his performance; he’s one of our leaders, and a lot of our offensive play goes through him. This is the way forward, and he must continue like this.”
In time, it is almost taken for granted that he will find his place under Hansi Flick’s wing as well. Moreover, given the recent influx of injuries and sidelined players, it is almost impossible for the coach to not consider the possibility of giving the young midfielder a chance with the first team sooner or later.
Unlike Casado and Fermin Lopez, however, Prim is still relatively younger. Similarly, he may be around Yamal’s age but he has not had the opportunity to have the same kind of instant impact in the first team. In many ways, the path he will have to find to reach Hansi Flick’s mentorship will be completely his own in a unique way.
