Photo: Returning Barcelona star Gavi receives captain’s armband from Pedri on return | OneFootball

The Barcelona coaching staff made sure to afford midfielder Gavi a moment to remember, upon his long-awaited return to the pitch this evening.

The name of youngster Gavi has of course positioned itself front and centre in the headlines across Spain late on Sunday.

This comes after the 20-year-old, after a painful spell of almost 12 months on the sidelines with an ACL injury, marked his comeback to competitive action.

En route to Barcelona’s 5-1 La Liga drubbing of Sevilla, Gavi, a little over ten minutes from time, was summoned to the sideline by head coach Hansi Flick.

From here, the Spanish international’s ‘6’ flashed across the fourth official’s board, alongside that of midfield partner and close friend Pedri.

And a touching moment between the pair followed, as Pedri passed the Barcelona captain’s armband to Gavi on his way off, before the latter stepped back onto the pitch for the first time since 2023, to rapturous applause throughout Montjuïc:

Conor Laird – GSFN