21-year-old Barcelona star recalls the moment Ronald Koeman handed him his first-team debut | OneFootball

FC Barcelona, in the last few years, have seen the emergence of many La Masia graduates into the first team, most of whom have gone on to become mainstays and stars of both the Catalan club and their international team.

The likes of Ansu Fati, Gavi, Alejandro Balde, Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Hector Fort, Marc Bernal, Marc Casado, and Fermin Lopez have all come through the ranks at the club and the player we are focusing on here is Balde.

The 21-year-old left-back broke through under Xavi Hernandez, displacing Jordi Alba as the first-choice in defense, but it is worth remembering that like Gavi, it was Ronald Koeman who gave Alejandro Balde his first-team debut.

Speaking on a documentary premiered on Barca One as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, Balde has recalled the moments leading to his debut with the first team and how he was not expecting it. He said:

“I had played ninety minutes with the reserve team that weekend, and I didn’t think I would play. I was sitting calmly on the bench, and then Jordi Alba got injured.”

“Koeman turned around, and I thought, ‘He’s not going to call me, is he?’ But then he said, ‘Balde, warm up.’ And I was like, ‘Wow!’ The stadium was so big; I was blown away, like I was in a video game. I didn’t sleep that night.”

Making your debut is always big for any professional footballer and especially if he had come through the youth ranks like Balde had, it would have meant so much more. Let’s not even get into the pressure of replacing a left-back legend like Jordi Alba, who had set the yardstick way too high.

Balde, since that debut, has grown leaps and bounds. He has also had his fair share of hardships, like the long-term injury he suffered last season that kept him out for half a year. The 21-year-old will also know that he has a lot of scope for improvement, in terms of his game.

Balde has recovered his best version under Hansi Flick so far this season. Defensively, there aren’t many left-backs who are better than the Spaniard at the moment but he will be the first one to hold his hand up and admit that his final balls into the box could improve.

The 21-year-old is well on his way to succeeding Jordi Alba’s legacy at Barcelona. One would hope that he can stay fit and can contribute at a high level in the games ahead and let’s wait and see how it plays out.