Barcelona wasn’t at their best when they took on Elche in La Liga, but 17-year-old Gavi put on an unforgettable display as he scored the Catalans’ second goal in their 3-2 win over their Andalusian side.
Gavi had received the ball in the final third, passed the challenge, and evaded the pressure with a superb 180-degree turn, and when he approached the edge of the Elche penalty area, the defender gave the illusion that he was going to shoot before eventually sending the ball into the bottom corner of the net.
And by scoring the first goal in his career with Barcelona, ​​Gavi became the third youngest to score for the Catalan giant at all, surpassing the Argentine legend, Lionel Messi, according to the Spanish newspaper ” Marca “.
Messi scored his first goal at the age of 17 years and 331 days, while Gavi did so at the age of 17 years and 135 days, and is surpassed by Ansu Fati, who scored at the age of 16 years and 304 days, and Bojan after he scored his first goals with Barcelona at 17 years and 53 days old.
For his part, Barcelona coach, Xavi Hernandez, said after the match that “having a player like Gavi is unbelievable… he is amazing and is the future of this club,” according to the Spanish newspaper ” AS “.
He continued: “He is only seventeen years old and he is making a difference, and I am happy to have him with us, but I do not want to compare him to any other player, and the second-row players must help us.”
And whether the young generation who is currently coaching him is able to repeat the golden stage that the team lived in earlier times, Xavi replied: “Young players make a difference, but I do not send a message to the old, as Busquets, De Jong, Alba, and Ter Stegen are doing their best. “I am happy with the team, and in order to develop you have to suffer, and this generation is even better than that of Busquets and Pedri.”
And he added, “De Jong contributed today in many things, although he did not appear like Gavi and Nico, where he was feeling uncomfortable, he played his defensive role well.”
With this victory, Barcelona raised its score to 27 points in seventh place, while Elche’s balance froze at 15 points in 16th place.
