Fermín's trip full of surprises: "We are very grateful to the Catalans and the Catalans."

BarcelonaFermín López closed out the season at San Mamés with a remarkable performance. In fact, he provided the assist for Lewandowski, for the first goal of the Pole's brace. Thus, the midfielder born in El Campillo (Huelva) capped off a strong end to the season. Although his breakthrough into the first team would be inexplicable without the help of Xavi Hernández, Fermín has also managed to convince Hansi Flick. His end of the season has earned him a place among the six Barça players called up for the Spanish national team. However, he will not be playing for the Spanish U-21 team, with whom he was instrumental in winning the gold medal at last year's Paris Olympic Games.

Although it might have seemed that with the change in the bench and the signing of Dani Olmo, the number 16 would have a harder time taking center stage, Fermín has ended up earning the minutes on his own merits. In fact, the Terrassa native is the only Barça midfielder with a better record in terms of goal contribution from this line. While Fermín has contributed to scoring 17 goals (8 goals and 9 assists) in 46 appearances across all competitions, Olmo has participated in 18 (12 and 6) in 39 matches.

According to data provided by Opta, if we broaden the comparison with other La Liga midfielders, Fermín, taking into account that he has participated in 11 goals, is the sixth-highest midfielder—tied with Lo Celso (Betis), Dani Rodríguez (Mallorca), and Yeremy Pino (Vila). Only Olmo, who has participated in 13 goals, surpasses him. Villarreal's Baena and Athletic Bilbao's Sancet both have 16, while Real Madrid's Bellingham and Betis's Isco top the list with 17 direct goal involvements. Fermín's case stands out because he's sixth on this list, but he's made fewer starts: 12.

Two seasons ago, he was playing on loan in the First Division of the RFEF, with Linares. Hardly anyone imagined that at 22, he would burst into the elite through the front door, starting with his father, who is also named Fermín: "It was incredible and unexpected for everyone. After the loan to Linares, we knew we had to return, do preseason, and we imagined he was going to go to B to work with Xavi..." he recalls in ARA. Fermín's emergence into the elite is surprising given the journey that followed. He arrived at La Masia at 13 years old from Betis, a similar case to Gavi. In fact, the two shared a room.

In his youth system, everything was smooth sailing until his final year as a youth player. During that final season in the youth academy, he gradually lost his starting status and his prominence diminished. However, he finished the season with a superb goal that gave Barça the youth cup. At the end of August 2022, however, he was informed that he would not have a number for the reserve team, where he was playing. overbooking and other preferences. After six years in the youth academy, he had to accept that he was no longer a promising player and accept that he had been discarded. The path to leaving Barça is always scary, because many imagine it will be very difficult to return.

The loan to Linares

Barça wanted him to be loaned to a team close to Barcelona: Olot, Sabadell, Cornellà... But the player and his family were clear that if he left Barça, it would be to play close to home. At Linares, he scored 12 goals and five assists. Alberto González, current manager of Albacete, was the coach of that team. "One could see that he had the potential to be a professional, because it's true that he already showed spectacular abilities, and he made enormous progress, but I couldn't imagine that just a year later he would end up winning the European Championship, the Olympics, and being an important player for Barça..." he told ARA.

"He's very competitive and, at the same time, very humble. He adapted very well to Linares and absorbed everything very quickly. You could see his progress clearly," he adds. "He was a great player, thanks to his distribution of play. On the other hand, with us he played more as an attacking midfielder. We insisted more on receiving between the lines, turning, and facing the back line, because that allowed him to be closer to the box." He was also very good at shooting situations and always wanted to finish the play with a goal, even if it was just training." The coach also highly values the environment and upbringing that accompany Fermín. "His strength is his head and his desire; football is his greatest dream," adds his father.

Fer's respect

After his loan spell, he returned to Barça and was called up for preseason training with the first team, managed by Xavi, although, in fact, Fermín wasn't even guaranteed a place in the reserve team. In those first training sessions, he surprised Xavi, who had already had his eye on him as a youth player. for his "dynamism, his verticality and his understanding of the game." The friendly against Real Madrid in Dallas (3-0) arrived, in which he scored a brace. The minutes against the Whites served Fermín to demonstrate his uninhibited football. "Xavi is his mentor, and with Flick, little by little, he's earned a place," his father says.

Fermín not only captivates fans with his football, but he's also found it easy to express himself in Catalan, despite it not being his native language. "Fermín arrived at Barça very young and adapted perfectly. Plus, Catalan is in his blood, because his father was born in Gavà. We're very grateful to all the Barça fans and all the Catalans for how much they love him," says the footballer's father. Fermín's paternal grandparents married very young and emigrated to Barcelona. Fermín's father and uncles were born there. When he was five, they returned to Andalusia, but the footballer's paternal family has always had close ties to Catalonia because they have relatives in Gavà and Viladecans. "We have Catalan roots," concludes the father of a footballer who has captured the hearts of all Barça fans.