The young man from Maresme who has found in Mallorca what Barça couldn't guarantee him

BarcelonaIn his first year in the top flight, Jan Virgili (Vilassar de Mar, 2006) has made a name for himself among the league's most outstanding footballers. His speed and ability to unbalance defenses have earned him a place in Mallorca's starting eleven at just 19 years old. This Saturday, Barça will host Mallorca (4:15 pm), Virgili's team, where he will fulfill one of his dreams: playing at the Camp Nou. He won't be wearing the Barça jersey, but he wants to continue proving he's ready for La Liga. "He's matured as a player each season and has reached the point of understanding that he wanted to be a professional and truly reach his full potential," explains Àlex Accensi, who coached him in Nàstic's youth academy, his stepping stone before joining Barça. This ability to make the leap and adapt as if he'd been at the highest level for many years is precisely what stands out most about Virgili on the island. "What he's doing now in La Liga, he was already doing in his youth days. He's a player who needs to be in constant contact with the ball. When he was at Nàstic, you could already see that if he wanted it and had a bit of luck, he could become a professional footballer," Accensi acknowledges. In twenty matches with Mallorca – thirteen of them as a starter – he has provided four assists and won two penalties. However, he has yet to score.

Last year – his only season with Barça – he played 33 matches with Belletti's Juvenil A team, where he was a key player in their treble-winning campaign. In fact, he played in ten of the eleven Youth League matches, scoring four goals and providing three assists. Thanks to his strong performances, he made his debut with the Barça B team on January 25, 2025, against Ourense in the Primera Federación. In total, he participated in seventeen matches, starting eight of them. Virgilio also tried to help the team avoid relegation with four goals and two assists. All of this led Hansi Flick to call him up for preseason with the first team, but the arrival of Rashford and Roony meant he was one of the three players left out of the squad for the Asian tour. Before leaving for Mallorca, he played in the final of the Under-20 Intercontinental Cup at the Maracanã. Despite scoring one of the two goals, Barcelona ultimately lost on penalties to Flamengo (2-2, 6-5). This was his last appearance for the Barcelona club before signing a five-year contract with Mallorca on August 28, running until 2030. Barcelona retained a percentage of any future sale and a right of first refusal. Virgili is also an ambassador for P4SA, a football academy that also includes former Barcelona players Sergio Gómez, Adrián Bernabé, Oriol Soldevila, and Arnau Comas.

The Catalan player is happy to be on the island, with a team that didn't hesitate to sign him. After renewing his contract with Barça in March until 2027, he saw the Catalan club try to sign Nico Williams in the summer. When that failed, they strengthened their squad with Marcus Rashford and Roony Bardghji. Three players who have been – or would have been, in Williams' case – ahead of a player who felt ready to compete in La Liga, as he is proving with the Balearic side. However, both Jagoba Arrasate and Mallorca's sporting director never wavered. "They believed in him; Virgilio was the only option they considered on the wing," sources from the island point out.

Virgil's replacements at Barça

In La Liga, Jan Virgili has featured in seventeen matches (1,132 minutes), starting thirteen of them. The player from Vilassar – who has yet to score – has provided four assists. In contrast, Rashford has played twenty matches in the domestic competition (1,183 minutes), starting twelve of them. The Englishman has contributed four goals and six assists. Neither of them, however, usually plays the full 90 minutes. The Barcelona player has only completed four matches, and the Mallorca player, three. Finally, there's Bardghji. The winger has had significantly less playing time, with only eleven matches (259 minutes), three of them as a starter, in which he has scored one goal and provided one assist. However, Bardghji excels in one-on-one situations. The Swedish player has successfully completed 56% of the dribbles he has attempted (14 out of 25). Virgili has successfully completed 42.67% (32 out of 75) of his dribbles, while Rashford only managed 30.51% (18 out of 59).