The new golden generation of Barça prepares to gift a historic record in the classic

Barcelona"His level is incredible". That is how Hansi Flick spoke about Xavi Espart in Paris. Barça lost the first match of the season against Paris Saint-Germain, but the full-back from Barcelona shone with his own light at the Parc des Princes. He left the midfield to return to the right-back position and put on a display, both in defense and in attack, and also scored his first goal in the Champions League. In case there was any doubt, Espart has earned a place in the first team, he will be a starter in the 'Clásico' on Sunday and even Luis de la Fuente is already thinking about calling him up for the senior Spanish national team. "He played a fantastic match, in both the first and second half", Flick continued to praise him.

The German coach did not have many doubts about Espart, whom he gave his debut last season, precisely in a Champions League duel at Newcastle's ground. He was in the first-team dynamic and did not return to the reserve team, except to play three matches there. This summer, Espart was already one more player in Flick's training sessions and the club decided to register him for the first team and give him the number 12 shirt. In September, Deco announced his renewal until 2030, which he would sign just fifteen days ago. "They have valued his maturity, professionalism, attitude, energy and, obviously, the quality", note sources close to the player.

Born in Barcelona on May 21, 2007, Espart joined Barça's youth academy at 8 years old, having just turned that age, to join the benjamín team. In general, he has always played in midfield, although thanks to his versatility he has also occupied defensive positions, especially as a full-back. "But he is a midfielder," they insist from his inner circle.

Espart is the fourth star of an extraordinary generation of footballers who have made a place for themselves in the elite, formed by Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí, and Marc Bernal. Although they all had different paths in youth football. Lamine and Bernal, who entered La Masia in 2014 – Espart did so in 2015 – always played together in the same category. On the other hand, Espart only coincided with them for one year, in 2019, in the infantil B team. Cubarsí, who joined Barça in 2018, also coincided with Lamine and Bernal until their paths separated with Lamine's early debut in the first team, at only 15 years old.

"It was very important to get ahead of everyone else. We didn't wait. If we received a report on Thursday, by Saturday morning we would go see them play and in the afternoon we were already talking to the families to sign for Barça," recalls Jordi Roura, who was the head of the youth football at the club from 2014 to 2021. "That all four have reached the first team is a result of the work done, but it is also indisputable that there is a bit of luck involved. All the factors have aligned," adds the former Barça coach, who is currently in charge of youth football at Al-Jazira, in the United Arab Emirates.

They are 19 years old and on Sunday, in the Clásico against Real Madrid, it is highly likely that they will be protagonists in the starting eleven. Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí will certainly be there, and it is more than likely that Espart will once again be the right-back. On the other hand, it is most likely that Bernal will start the match from the bench, since in Paris the coach prioritized giving Rodri a rest so he would have fresh legs for the duel against José Mourinho's team.

Three starters under 20 years old in a Clásico: a historic fact

It will be the first time that Barça has fielded three players under the age of 20 as starters in a Barça-Madrid match. In fact, in the 21st century, there are only ten players who, at 19 years old or younger, have been in the starting eleven of a classic. Cubarsí, Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Balde, and Pedri from the current team; as well as Ansu Fati, Dest, Bojan, Messi, and Pepe Reina.

The potential of these players is extremely high, and Barça has not hesitated to secure their future. A year and a half ago, they already tied down Lamine Yamal until 2031 with a world-class contract that established him as the highest-paid footballer on the squad. Shortly before that, Cubarsí had signed until 2029. This season, the technical secretariat has gotten down to business with the renewals of Espart, signed on October 8th, and only Marc Bernal's remains to be signed. The midfielder from Berga will extend his commitment until 2031, although it will still be a few days before the operation can be formalized. As this newspaper has learned, the agreement is firm regarding the financial amounts, but a series of bureaucratic issues must be resolved. The fine print of the contract includes, among other things, commercial matters. Both Barça and the player's entourage assure that it will be closed 100%. The only doubt is knowing when. This will complete the poker of renewals for the 2007 generation, the most precocious and prolific from the Barcelona youth academy.