Fans Convinced 16-Year-Old Barcelona Midfielder Gavi Is Football's Next Big Thing After Running Show vs Girona

An enormous prospect is emerging from Barcelona's famed youth system and his name is Gavi; a 16-year-old midfielder with the talent to become a real star.

The teenager, who made his debut for the club in their pre-season win against Gimnastic on Wednesday, continued his run in the first team set-up when Ronald Koeman named him on the bench against Girona at the weekend.

After replacing Yusuf Demir - another exciting prospect - in the second half, a composed Gavi ran the show from midfield in the pre-season friendly, showcasing glimpses of brilliance throughout. Just check out his highlights below.

Gavi, who has already made his debut for Barcelona B in the third division of Spanish football, didn't look out of place amongst a sea of seasoned professionals. In fact, he was arguably Barca's best player for large spells.

The youngster looked tidy in possession and when given the opportunity, he was not afraid to try and play a cutting forward pass, as you can see below.

There is no doubting his technical ability and confidence on the ball.

Franc Artiga, a former coach of Gavi's at La Masia, praised the teenager in a recent interview.

"He is so technically gifted," he told Goal. "He is capable of changing what he is about to do in tenths of a second, and improvising under any circumstance of the game.

"It is very difficult to find a player with these abilities, and with this speed of execution."

Artiga is just one of many admirers of the former Real Betis academy product. Here are a few reactions from Twitter during and after the Girona clash.

Barcelona manager Koeman has already signalled his intent to use the club's array of young talent ahead of the new campaign.

"We are always ready for young players to come in, they are the future of the club," he told the club's official website.

"There are young players like Balde, Nico and Gavi and the new signing Demir who could all be great players.

"You have to give them time to get used to the pace of the first-team. We will see in the future which ones we will use."

Remember the name, folks.

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Topics: Football, Barcelona, La Liga, Gavi, Girona

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare is a writer at SPORTbible. He's interviewed some of the biggest names in sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pele, Carles Puyol and Tim Henman. He dabbles in all things sport but football is his biggest passion. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale.

@jackkenmare_