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4 weeks ago
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Over the years, La Masia, the famed academy of FC Barcelona, has produced generational talents across all positions in the field.
However, there has been a dearth of top-quality centre-forwards who have broken through the academy ranks and made it big with the senior setup.
Marc Guiu’s breakthrough last season showed great promise only for the youngster to leave for Chelsea this past summer.
But there is another teenage striker at La Masia who is generating a lot of hope and expectations within Barcelona.
Oscar Gistau makes Hansi Flick take notice
Indeed, 16-year-old Oscar Gistau is a player that Barcelona have high hopes on and the teenage centre-forward is knocking on Hansi Flick’s doors with his latest display for the Juvenil A setup, reports SPORT.
Starting for the Barça Under-19 side in the UEFA Youth League encounter against Bayern Munich today at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, it took him just eleven minutes to open the scoring.
¡QUÉ GOLAZO DE ÒSCAR GISTAU 🇪🇸(2008) PARA SU DOBLETE!#UYLpic.twitter.com/uPcflHtV0c
— Football Report (@FootballReprt) October 23, 2024After receiving the ball in the area, he dribbled past his marker and finished clinically past the Bayern goalkeeper.
Gistau’s second goal, scored five minutes before half-time, showcased a different skill set. Collecting the ball at the edge of the area, he spotted space, pushed forward, and curled a right-footed shot into the top corner from outside the box.
The next great hope
Gistau represents the latest hope to succeed as Barcelona’s centre-forward. This is his fifth season at the club, with a contract running until 2027 – which the Blaugrana spent months negotiating before finally securing it last July.
Gistau is vindicating those who believed in him, despite facing challenges last season when he missed the final stretch due to a hamstring injury.
At just 16 years old, Gistau still has a long journey ahead. However, his double against Bayern and continuous development put him in a position to eventually break into the first team.
Flick, always attentive to developments with the youth team, will surely have taken note of his performance in the UEFA Youth League clash against the German giants.
