Brian Fariñas, the truck driver's son who has made Hansi Flick fall in love

BarcelonaBrian Fariñas (Benicarló, February 9, 2006) has introduced himself to the fans through the front door. The defensive emergencies led Hansi Flick to place him as a starter against Alavés. The 20-year-old footballer's response was so positive that the midfielder turned full-back repeated against an opponent of the stature of Aston Villa. Fariñas convinced once again in a position that is not his own, even though he had already played on a few occasions with the reserve team or during the preseason. Heir to the number 4 jersey left orphaned by Ronald Araujo, many wondered who this young man was to whom a first-team spot was given without even having debuted. Frenkie de Jong's injury caused Flick to block the loan to Girona of a young player who had already sparked the interest of Saudi football a couple of years ago.

Before landing at La Masia in 2018 to play for the Infantil A team, Fariñas had passed through the youth academy of Villarreal –one of the most successful in national football– and, from a very young age, he had started playing at his town's club: Benicarló Base Futbol. He did so even before being a pre-benjamín, in one of the pre-football teams that the club of this Valencian municipality of just over 30,000 inhabitants has, where it already begins to be seen which boys and girls are more interested in playing football. It is done through some coordination exercises, and here it became clear that Brian, "who was four or five years old then," had the conditions. "He was a very shy boy, but with a lanky and thin physique, whom his father, Toni, always took to training," Domingo Lores, his first coach, recounts to ARA.

"He was very coordinated for his age. I remember five-a-side training matches and, when his team was winning 5-0, I would switch him, and the other team would catch up to 5-5". Domingo also remembers a significant anecdote: "I forbade him from shooting with his right foot, to strengthen his other leg. He would give me dirty looks, but his father told him to listen to me. And playing with his left, he still stood out".

His father, Toni Fariñas, accompanied him "whenever he could to training sessions and dedicated a lot of time to him". Toni is a truck driver and tried to adjust his schedule. "He would stay with him after training, kicking the ball around... Something that worried me a little, because I have seen many cases of children who have grown to hate football because of their parents. I would tell Toni: 'Hey, he's had enough training', but he insisted. He was consistent and didn't argue with what you asked of him". Toni continues to work as a truck driver and, in fact, this week he balanced his schedule so that, despite being on the road since Monday, he did not want to miss his son's debut in the Champions League.

Brian Fariñas arrives at La Masia

Brian stood out and soon caught the attention of Villarreal scouts, a club that has an agreement with Benicarló. He spent one year with the Villarreal Benjamín team, then returned to Benicarló for one season, where he had a standout campaign before joining Villarreal permanently. He stayed there until he was twelve, when Barça signed him – having to pay a transfer fee, not without generating criticism from the yellow club – and he moved to reside at La Masia.

Domingo, who maintains a relationship with Brian and his family – CD Benicarló collaborates with the camp the footballer organizes, and they presented him with a commemorative plaque a couple of years ago after he won the youth Champions League – remembers him as a "quiet, shy boy who even lowered his gaze when speaking to me, the coach".

Xavi Martín, the current general manager of Francina Management and former director of La Masia (2019-2021), agrees with this description. "I remember him as a fairly introverted boy, not very talkative, but very intelligent. The kind who didn't need to draw attention to himself to earn his teammates' respect," he explains to ARA. "His maturity was unusual for his age when he arrived. He listens, observes, and executes. In fact, that is what Flick has recognized in him now: intelligence and consistency," he adds.

Martín also remembers the figure of Toni, his father: "He came to La Masia very often to see him, to be close to him. It was a very present family, but I don't remember them being intrusive. And for a child living at La Masia, that is fundamental." Before reaching the first team, Fariñas completed the entire youth 11-a-side football stage. "Despite being introverted, he won over his teammates. In Cadet A, during the 2021-22 season, he coincided with Lamine, and they grew up together at La Masia and became great friends."

The former director of the youth residence also remembers him as a footballer who was "very receptive to coaches": "He didn't complain, he asked questions and learned. It has been clearly seen, for example, when Belletti – coach of the reserve team – or now Flick, have made him play as a full-back".

Martín also explains how one day he had to pull his ears, like many other youth players. "One day he left La Masia to go out with his friends, but he did so without authorization. I was very worried. My first reaction was to send him home for a week as a punishment. But we spoke with his mother, Leticia, and we decided to do it differently: have him serve the punishment at La Masia. If we sent him home, he would miss classes and training sessions".

Thus, "it became clear that there are rules that cannot be broken, but we did not interfere with his education": "It didn't happen again," Martín resolves. "He is a boy who learns from his mistakes. This also helps to understand how he has been able to reach the first team," concludes the former director of La Masia.

Despite Brian Fariñas' rise to fame, Domingo, his first coach, remembers that he maintains his roots in Benicarló. He has step-siblings and cousins who play or have played at the club where he began taking his first steps as a footballer.