Barcelona continue to have the support of their subsidiary whenever it is needed. The Catalan giants have already suffered a lot this season and many of those problems have revolved around injuries. However, Barcelona have been fortunate enough to have a reliable set of youngsters to count on.
Just as key first team stars such as Pedri, Gavi, Marc Andre Ter Stegen and others began to get injured, even more bad news struck. Right before the match against Barbastro in the Copa Del Ray round of 32, there was yet another major casualty.
Alejandro Balde, the only available natural fullback at the time, was missing from the squad list. Due to an illness suffered previously, Balde was ultimately unable to play for Barcelona against Barbastro. In his stead, however, a certain 17-year-old stepped up and passed his test with flying colors.
Hector Fort, as highlighted by SPORT, managed to overcome his greatest challenge yet. Reportedly told that he would be playing as a left-back against Barbastro only a day before the game, the right-footed fullback was more than right to take on the challenge.
Much more comfortable playing as a right-back, this was a new kind of challenge for the 17-year-old. Not only was he to play for the Barcelona first team in a game that could have cost them an entire competition, he was also expected to play on his weaker side.
However, he did not just manage to hold his own. Instead, he played brilliantly for someone his age and someone playing as per his circumstances. Creating chances, helping out in defense, and making overlapping runs whenever possible, Fort put on quite the show.
Moreover, he even managed to get a crucial assist. Cutting to the inside and then launching a great pass forward to Raphinha, the assist crafted open Barça’s second goal. With a performance that solid, it is clear why Xavi continues to count on him.
While the youngster now remains a part of Xavi’s Barcelona first team, he is still a belonging of Rafa Marquez’s Barça Atletic. As a result, whenever the subsidiary may need his services on an urgent basis, Fort would be more than happy to fulfil his duties as required.