A 20-year-old Spanish winger is standing at a crossroads where leaving his childhood club might only be the way to have a fresh start. The soccer star is none other than Ansu Fati. He has gone from being the successor to the best player in soccer history to being labeled as a flop at FC Barcelona in the span of three years.
A La Masia graduate, Ansu Fati made a name for himself when he broke several goalscoring records when he burst onto the scene in 2019. However, consistent long-term injuries have made him miss significant chunks of the last three seasons.
The player who was once touted as the replacement for Lionel Messi, and also inherited his iconic number ten jersey at FC Barcelona might be out of the Catalunyan club, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Ansu Fati situation, one to watch until the end of the summer. 🔵🔴 #FCB
Ansu would love to stay at Barça; message on player side has always been strong and clear.
But clubs behind the scenes are still pushing to open talks with Barcelona. Up to the club. pic.twitter.com/BRyXQmE0H0
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 7, 2023
Ansu Fati scored 8 goals in his debut season and broke the records for the youngest player to score in La Liga and UEFA Champions League for FC Barcelona. Fast forward three years, and he has only managed to find the back on the net 21 more times in three seasons.
The stats tell the truth, as the numbers have not managed to live up to the expectations. According to news in the Spanish media, many clubs are interested in taking a gamble on the young forward. PSG under new coach Luis Enrique seems to be one of them.
In spite of his injury-stricken availability, he was favored by his previous coaches Ernesto Valverde and Ronald Koeman. Now he has fallen under the pecking order under the current coach Xavi Hernandez. Xavi led Barcelona to their first La Liga title in 4 years, but Ansu Fati was not an integral part of the squad.
Ansu Fati has a $1.09 billion release clause
The question is what’s next for Ansu Fati? The answers do point towards an exit at FC Barcelona. Even his own father believes that Fati should leave Barcelona to live up to his potential.
Many fans have started calling him the biggest flop in world football. The expectations, and how he emerged onto the big scene may have led to this conclusion. One fan on Twitter (Mohammed Ayman, username: MoAyman101) wrote “The Biggest Flop in World Football“, while one tweeted “Finished“.
Another fan under the name of ‘dr socrates’ compared him to former FC Barcelona player Bojan Krkić. Bojan was another young player who burst onto the scene with FC Barcelona, but his injuries destroyed his career.
A fan under the name Moti_97x questions the release clause Barcelona have put for him. She said, ” With his injury history, who is taking him for the price Barca will ask for?“. A release clause worth more than a billion was a great move to lock him at the club on a longer contract. Now it’s not helping Barcelona sell him, nor is it helping Fati to leave the club.
Ansu Fati’s against AC Milan last night! 🇪🇸🚀 pic.twitter.com/wpwAdDbonC
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) August 2, 2023
Last season Ansu managed to hit double figures, as he scored 10 goals in 51 appearances. Even though he was a part of the team that won the Spanish Super Cup and La Liga. He was not a starter in the playing eleven. Ousmane Dembele, Raphina, and Ferran Torres were ahead of him in Xavi’s preference. When the opportunities arose, failed to make the most of it.
Ansu Fati is only 20 years old, and his goal against AC Milan in the preseason reminded everyone of what he can still do. What do you feel about the Ansu Fati situation? Should he leave Barcelona or should he stay? Let us know in the comments below.