A smile for Flick and a 'problem' for De la Fuente
Gavi, who chains four consecutive starts, gains options to be on the definitive list for the World Cup
BarcelonaBarça started the season with the feeling that they had an excess of midfielders. So much so that the club, conditioned by the famous fair play financial, listened to several offers. One of the most succulent, the one Chelsea made for Fermín López, but which Barça rejected because they considered that the 50 million offered by the English were totally insufficient given the player's potential. More proposals arrived, also for Pablo Párez Gavira, Gavi. But in his case, Deco and company did not dedicate a single moment to valuing them. In short: he was not for sale.
Gavi is a special footballer. He is not the most skillful in the squad, but he exudes a fierceness and commitment on the pitch that make him an essential piece for any dressing room. Some intangibles, those of character, are very necessary in a team that aspires to be champion of everything. That is why, after a year's absence due to a knee injury with the Spanish national team – and the disastrous management by coach Luis de la Fuente – the club applauded his return. Step by step, he ended up being an important player for the team that last season won the domestic treble and was two minutes away from qualifying for the Champions League final.
Bringing the midfielder from Los Palacios back into the fold was good news, which in turn earned him a very juicy contract renewal. His contract was ending in 2026 and Barça, cautiously, waited to ensure his knee was fully healed before extending the agreement until 2030, with a 1,000 million clause and a salary increase that placed him at the top of the club's wage scale. Not everyone understood it in the sporting secretariat, but Deco and Alejandro Echevarría, his great endorsers, did not hesitate.
It seemed the nightmare was over. Gavi was playing normally and returning to the national team to compete in the final phase of the Nations League. But in August the problems returned. What initially seemed like a knock to the knee turned into a relapse affecting the meniscus. Conservative treatment wasn't working, and he needed arthroscopy that would keep him out of action for an additional six months. It was a very tough emotional blow that he overcame thanks to the club's support, which never abandoned him, and to Hansi Flick's left hand, who spoke with him regularly to offer support. He wasn't the only one. De la Fuente also contacted him, encouraging him to have a good recovery and keeping alive the hope of being at the World Cup this summer.
"The most difficult thing was preventing him from sinking"
Everything depended on the player's performance. "In the first injury, the hardest thing was convincing him that he had to go slowly; this time the most complicated thing has been to prevent him from sinking," they explain from the Ciutat Esportiva. But they managed. Gavi has not lost his competitive spirit, nor his hot temper, as evidenced by the action in Getafe where he received a yellow card for braking too hard and Flick had to step in to calm him down. It was his fourth consecutive game as a starter, after playing from the start in the derby against Espanyol (64 minutes), in the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Atlètic (81'), against Celta (45') and at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez (60'). "He still lacks a bit of competitive rhythm, but nothing to worry about. There is no longer any trace of the injury," they maintain in the locker room.
"It's different than before the injury. He's more focused, more measured. I'm impressed with his level. He gives everything. He's always well connected with the team," Flick praised him before the match in Getafe, where the footballer showed ambition, leadership, and vision of play. Even daring to make tactical corrections and demanding more defensive concentration from Cancelo.
There are five league games left for Barça, which are five more opportunities for Gavi to continue accumulating minutes thinking about a World Cup he doesn't want to miss. "He is a very special footballer for his performance and qualities. We can expect anything positive. There are two months left, a lot of time and matches. We will evaluate it, but we would all like him to be with us," explained the Spanish coach a few days ago. For now, Gavi has a guaranteed place on the preliminary list of 55 players that the Federation must submit to FIFA on May 11. Then, it will be time to decide. A blessed problem for De la Fuente.
