Flick's carrot and stick in Fermín

BarcelonaIf someone had told Fermín López three years ago that he would receive the Joan Gamper Trophy Best Player award on August 10, 2025, he would have dismissed them as a madman. On August 19, three years ago, Barça announced the Andalusian midfielder's loan to Linares. After losing a place in the reserve team, it was time to move abroad to develop in semi-professional football. On that day, few could have imagined that he would end up triumphing in the Blaugrana shirt. With a double against Como (5-0), Fermín showed that he wants to be a starter. With Frenkie de Jong and Pedri covering the base of the midfield, there remains one position in which Hansi Flick will have to choose between three options: Gavi, Dani Olmo – now recovered after an overload – and the player from El Campillo (Huelva). For now, the attacking midfielder has played 78 minutes in which he once again showed off one of his greatest strengths: his goal-scoring instinct.

However, it hasn't been an easy few days for Fermín. After several rumors linking him with a possible move to the Premier League –also conditioned by the registration problems of the Barcelona club–, the footballer sought to dispel any doubts. "I want to stay at Barça. It's my dream, and I'm going to stay. Don't worry," he declared in a statement to 3Cat. This Friday it also emerged that Flick has had to pull his ears during this summer. The German acknowledged this in the press conference before the match against Mallorca (7:30 p.m., Movistar), that the Andalusian will probably start: "In preseason I wasn't that happy with him, but he's improved these two weeks. Against Como, he showed that he's very good."

Fermín has wanted to play in Barça's first team from his first day at La Masia. "As soon as he arrived, he wanted to stay; he landed on his feet. His teammates loved him because he made himself loved. He was very small, lively, friendly, and outgoing. He also had a very good level of play; it was surprising that he could do such incredible things with such a small body," recalls Isaac García, who was Cars Martín's assistant at Barça.

Overcoming all obstacles

But Fermín's path to elite football wasn't easy. The player had a significant handicap: his physique. "Physically, he wouldn't leave the pitch one-on-one because when he was a youth player, his youth body was two or three years behind," Isaac recalls. This led to some very difficult years for both the player and his family. It also sparked debates within the club, during which Barça remained patient, considering him a bet for the future.

The Andalusian arrived at La Masia in the summer of 2016. Sergi Milà, then director of grassroots methodology and current youth coordinator, is highlighted in the documentary. Origins: Fermín López (Barça One) his attitude on the pitch. "He was competitive. He got angry when he saw that perhaps he hadn't been able to express himself on the pitch as he would have liked," said Milà. A development that Fermín, who speaks Catalan with extreme ease, also values. "Milan helped me to be patient and develop other virtues that have later helped me get to where I am," he concludes.

In his first season in Barcelona, he coincided with some of his current teammates in the dressing room, such as Alejandro Balde and Marc Casadó, who also arrived that summer. Although he ended up playing as an attacking midfielder, he was initially signed as a winger. "We're looking for a player who can start from the wing, who can do well when wide to create one-on-one opportunities, but also who knows how to move inside to create numerical superiority inside and leave the lane for a long full-back like Balde," reveals Isaac García.

Despite his physical handicap, the coaches who have had him emphasize his intelligence, his quick adaptation and understanding of Barça's game, and his maturity. "He's a technically very gifted player, with an ability that stood out above the rest," adds Jordi Roura, the youth director when Fermín arrived. Despite his potential, it didn't fully materialize until he tried his luck outside of Barcelona. His loan move to Linares, where he excelled in the First Federation, earned him the prize of going on the 2023 US tour with Xavi on the bench.

Once he earned his place in the first team, he jumped at the chance. He has racked up 19 goals and 11 assists in 88 matches. Great numbers for a player who has fulfilled his dream of wearing the Barça shirt, but who still has one more thing to do: his debut at Camp Nou. Aside from his qualities on the pitch, Fermín's personality also stands out. "He's a team player, makes it easy to get along with, and has an Andalusian sense of humor that exudes joy. This is very important for a dressing room, and he's a good teammate," concludes García, one of his first coaches.