Spain midfielder Gavi has played with his boots unlaced since he was very young

Barcelona wonderkid Gavi plays football with his boots unlaced as he doesn’t know how to tie them, it has been claimed.

The 17-year-old midfielder, one of the brightest prospects in European football, is regularly pictured playing for Barcelona with his boots untied.

Fans have speculated over whether Gavi has a bizarre superstition or pre-match ritual which involves his laces being undone.

But a straightforward explanation has now emerged – he simply doesn’t know how to lace up his boots.

"Gavi has been playing with his laces untied since he was very young, it’s because he doesn’t know how to tie them well,” Spanish journalist Marc Marba Prats revealed on Twitter.

“He doesn’t care and he plays like that."

Gavi has previously been teased by his Barcelona team-mates for his inability to tie his laces.

Fellow La Masia graduate Nico Gonzalez poked fun at the Spain international in a recent Instagram story which featured a picture of him tying Gavi’s shoelaces.

Gonzalez posted the picture alongside a caption which, when translated, read: "Time to learn…”

Back in October, Gavi was named as the best young player in world football when he picked up the Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d'Or award ceremony.

The midfield signed a flag for her but then, in a clip which has gone viral, she handed him a piece of paper. Poor Gavi was a little confused and surprised in equal measure but did pose for a picture with the young girl.

Gavi, the latest gem to emerge from the La Masia academy, broke through at Barca last season and is now a key player for Xavi Hernandez.