August 24, 2005. Joan Laporta's Barcelona faced off against Fabio Capello's Juventus with the latter winning the trophy 2-4 on penalties after the score was tied 2-2 during normal play. Camp Nou chanted a new name for the first time just nine minutes into the match as they watched an 18-year-old Messi leaving Juventus' defence in his wake. Shortly after the match, Capello remarkerd, “Bring me this little devil”. Fourteen years later, a headline in a Spanish daily read, “The devil is called Ansu Fati”.
Much like Brad Paisley's ‘Two People Fell in Love’, Fati's story didn't start from August 31 when he scored his first goal for Barcelona against Osasuna. It started 10 years ago when a Guinean Bori Fati, decided to move to Marinaleda―a communist model village that has always resisted capitalism. Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo, who had been mayor since 1979, has often been described as Spain's Robin Hood trying to build a Utopian society out of Marinaleda. Bori had come to the right place. He had heard that Marinaleda was giving work to immigrants, where people would be taken care of. True to his reputation, Gordillo gave Bori work, a place to stay and helped him bring his family over. Soon, a young six-year-old Ansu Fati moved to Herrera, a nearby town with his elder brother Braima and his mother.
At just six, Fati was already mesmerising everyone with his skills with the football at the local club―CDF Herrera while his elder brother Braima signed up for Sevilla F.C. In 2011, Braima joined Barcelona's fabled La Masia academy prompting Fati to join a year later. According to his father, Real Madrid had offered more money, but Barcelona had paid a personal visit. On July 24, he signed his first professional contract with the club until 2022. Not having ever played for even Barcelona's B team, it was quite overwhelming for young Fati when he was called to train with the first team. On August 25, aged just 16 years and 298 days, Fati took the field for the first time for Barcelona becoming the second youngest player to do so for the club after Vicenc Martinez did the same while he was just 18 days younger in 1941. He came on as a late substitute for Carles Perez in Barcelona's 5-2 drubbing of Real Betis. Even without scoring, his performance on the field was enough to prompt coach Ernesto Valverde to call him ‘daring’.
Barcelona's Ansu Fati (right) is congratulated by Antoine Griezmann for scoring a goal during the Spanish league match against Valencia CF | AFP
Six days later, he scored his first ever goal for the club against Osasuna, making him the youngest to achieve the feat for Barcelona and the third youngest in La Liga. Two weeks later, he made his first start for the club, scoring just 111 seconds into the match and providing a brilliant assist for Frankie de Jong to score in the 7th minute against Valencia. This made him the youngest player in La Liga history to score and assist in the same match.
Fati's performance doesn't come across as something that was a one-off incident. It is something that shows a lot of promise, intent and in limbo just like the defenders who have been tasked to stop him. He had hardly played for 10 minutes and he had already scored once, assisted another and almost found the top corner with a brilliant kick. Camp Nou had something else to cheer and feast their eyes on―a new star. By half-time, his 16-year old body was showing signs of fatigue and Valverde decided to take him off as Camp Nou gave him a standing ovation. The next day, El Mundo Deportivo's headline ran, “A Star is Born”.
Ansu Fati is mesmerising everyone with his football skills | AFP
But even as the world rushes to join in the celebration and euphoria of having found a new talent, there is enough room for caution. With the kind of attention and pressure that has suddenly surrounded young Fati, it is safe to say his infancy is lost. With Fati already being compared to many of the game's greats, you can't blame one for getting a deja vu feeling as the memory of a certain Bojan flashes. The 17-year-old was dubbed as the next Messi before buckling under the enormous pressure it came with and eventually fading from everyone's minds. To put things into perspective, Bojan scored 41 goals for Barcelona in total and over 900 while he played for the youth teams. Both the player and the club failed to manage his rise.
Ernesto Valverde seems to be aware of the danger and is looking to do things right this time around with Fati. “Taking on the idea of being a Barca player isn't an easy thing. He should be happy, but understand it's very tricky regardless, and he has to take on his work. It's a long road,” said Valverde following the Valencia match. Clement Lenglet said, “We have to give him time, he's 16”.
With huge stars to compete against and play along with, not to mention a player like Messi towering in galactic proportions, Fati can draw courage and hope from the metal sign that hangs in Marinaleda―‘Another world is possible’.
