Marc Guiu's dream debut: Barça's latest La Masia gem and a life-changing 33 seconds at Montjuïc
The little-known 17-year-old striker became an instant hero for his boyhood team as he came off the bench to score a late winner against Athletic Club in LaLiga on Sunday
There were 78 minutes and 41 seconds on the clock. Barcelona were drawing 0-0 at home to Athletic Club in LaLiga and with a number of their attacking players out through injury and some good chances missed, it was starting to look like the champions might have to settle for a point. Inspiration was needed from somewhere and suddenly, it arrived – from the bench, from La Masia, from Marc Guiu.
The 17-year-old striker embraced team-mate Fermín López, touched the turf for good luck and ran onto the pitch. After that, Barça completed a second substitution as Marcos Alonso replaced Alejandro Balde. Play then restarted and following a couple of passes at the back, João Félix slotted a low ball through the Athletic defence for Guiu to chase. The youngster took one touch with his left foot to control it and then another with his right to shoot, sliding the ball under goalkeeper Unai Simón to score. After 79 minutes and 14 seconds.
He ran away with his arms aloft, a look of unbridled joy and also disbelief on his face, his fists pumping. “¡Vamos!” he shouted. One by one, his team-mates arrived to join the celebrations. On the sidelines, Xavi punched the air. And watching from the stands, Frenkie de Jong, Robert Lewandowski and Sergi Roberto all applauded their young colleague. In 33 seconds, his life had changed forever.
Also in the crowd, Guiu’s family could not contain their emotions. How could they? “It’s every footballer’s dream,” his father said later on. It was. “I can’t believe it,” the youngster said in his post-match interview. “I can’t breathe. I’m enjoying the moment. I’m still flying. I’ve been working my whole life for this opportunity and it turned out perfectly.”
At 17 years and 291 days, he is the youngest debutant to score for Barcelona in the 21st Century. And although two players scored sooner after coming on for their debuts (Osasuna’s Jorge Galán was on target after 29 seconds in 2009 and Sevilla’s Diego González netted within 30 in 2016), Guiu had actually converted after 23 seconds of play, once the second substitution had been completed. Not that he will care too much about all that.
“Marc is a kid from the academy and he made the difference,” Xavi said after the game. “I am happy for him and with the three points, which are really important.
“I thought of him in that moment because he is a goal scorer, he has a spark and I like him personally. I don’t have any problem looking at what we have in-house. The complete opposite. I want to give them the confidence that I was given at 17, 18 years old.”
It is the Barcelona way. Or it used to be, at least. La Masia provided the backbone for the club’s greatest era, with the likes of Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Carles Puyol, Gerard Piqué, Víctor Valdés and Lionel Messi all emerging from the club’s fabled academy to form the club’s best-ever and most successful side.
Barça’s youth system has been somewhat less productive since, but those players need to be given opportunities. And many believe the Catalan club should have placed more faith in youth over the past couple of years instead of activating financial levers to make expensive signings for short-term gains, leaving the Blaugrana still massively in debt when it may have been better to ease their financial difficulties instead.
In Xavi, Barça have a coach whose vision includes working with players from La Masia and Guiu follows youngsters Lamine Yamal (16), Fermín López (20), Gavi (19) and Balde (20) into the first-team picture. With a number of key attackers injured and the games coming thick and fast, he may be in line for further opportunities in the weeks ahead.
The 17-year-old, who featured in pre-season against Vissel Kobe, had made only one appearance for Barça’s youth side and had been on the bench for the first team just once prior to Sunday’s game – in the 2-2 draw at Granada earlier in October.
But Xavi has known him for some time. Guiu first represented Barça at six years old and took part in the midfielder’s football camp in 2016 at the age of 10. He was even photographed alongside the World Cup-winning midfielder. A child then, he towers above his coach now at 1.87m.
Marc Guiu was born in the city of Granollers, 30 kilometres to the north-east of Barcelona, on January 4th, 2006. Barça’s next match came three days later – a 2-1 derby win against Espanyol at Montjuïc. And back at that same stadium, now the Catalan club’s temporary home as renovations continue on a new Camp Nou, the 17-year-old striker experienced a dream debut on Sunday. Whatever he goes on to achieve in football or in life, those 33 seconds will live with him forever.