Gavi conquers royalty: the 18-year-old leading Barcelona to their first post-Messi title

Gavi conquers royalty. The young 18-year-old player is capable of making Princess Leonor of Spain fall in love and bringing Real Madrid to its knees. With a goal and two assists from the midfielder, the Barza thrashed the white team 3-1 and won the Spanish Super Cup.

A goal to open the scoring and two assists to tell the world that at 18, Gavi reincarnates what Barcelona is now. It is not Messi’s magic, nor Neymar’s ability, much less Suárez’s goal, but Gavi has the presence in the positions of the aforementioned stars. He is the organizer from the middle forward, faces the left zone and appears in the area to define.

And in the midst of rumors of his romance with Princess Leonor -they would have had a last date a week ago-, Gavi makes news for his game. A player who wins 10 of the 12 duels and has an 88% success rate in passing, in addition to the goal and two goal passes against Real Madrid, well deserves to be part of royalty, of football, of Spain.

And Gavi led Barcelona to its first post-Lionel Messi title. The last trophy that the Blaugrana team raised was the 2021 Copa del Rey, with the Argentine still on the playing field.

Barcelona method

And with an exhibition, Xavi won his first title as Barcelona coach, a long-awaited achievement in the season and a half that he has been in, where he has had more setbacks than joys, but this Super Cup could mean the start of a historic rebound.

And it was an exhibition of Barcelona with the style that it always seeks to impose. This time it turned out well, with Busquets and De Jong winning the midfield from Kroos and Camavinga, with Gavi and Pedri winning the backs and with Lewandowski appearing to fight with everyone on top.

Why this time the possession of Barça (53% according to SofaScore) did bear fruit. Because he has a lot of oxygen with the fresh legs of Gavi and Pedri plus the intelligence of Busquets. With the pressure on the tired Kroos and Modric, they won the midfield and almost always in Real Madrid’s field, closer to the white area.

And that’s how the goals came. Remove Busquets, Lewandowski and pass to Gavi for 1-0. Quick start that confuses Carvajal, De Jong and Gavi and he assists Lewandowski for 2-0. Pressure on Cevallos who gives away the ball, I attacked quickly, Gavi to Pedri and game sentenced: 3-0. Benzema already discounted on the last minutes.

And of the nine players who touched the ball the most, eight were from Barcelona, ​​with Busquets and De Jong as the most active. The white representative was Carvajal. Yes, the Real Madrid right-back was the one who touched the ball the most. Neither Modric, nor Kross, less Vinícius.

And the circle closes. In 2015, the year in which Real Madrid began its domination of world football, Gavi arrived at Barcelona just as Xavi announced his departure from the culé team after winning the Champions League. This 2022 with one on the bench and the other being a figure on the field, Barza shakes off the weight of the white box so that the coach celebrates his first title as a blaugrana.

—