It wasn’t quite Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi finishing first, second and third in the 2010 Ballon D’Or but Barcelona’s dominance of the 2021 Golden Boy standings certainly added credence to the belief that there is a glint of light at the end of a long, dark tunnel at the Camp Nou.
In fifth place came Gavi, the 17-year-old who caused such a stir on his Spain debut in the UEFA Nations League semi-final clash with Italy in October.
And, in top spot, edging out Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, was the tempo-setting, string-pulling, play-making, tika-taka teen sensation that is Pedri.
Pedri and Gavi, however, are not the only baby-faced midfield masters in Barcelona’s ranks.
19-year-old Nico Gonzalez, a deep-lying pass master in the Sergio Busquets, has started six La Liga games himself this term and looks every inch a midfielder with Blaugrana blood running through his veins.
And you’d imagine that Riqui Puig, a forgotten man under Ronald Koeman, will find game-time easier to come by since the appointment of the ultimate tika-take exponent Xavi Hernandez as Barcelona’s new coach.
Xavi, after all, tipped Puig for a bright future at the Camp Nou in 2018 while highlighting his ‘Barcelona DNA’ (Mundo Deportivo).
So that’s Frenkie de Jong, Sergio Busquets, Pedri, Gavi, Nico, Puig and the versatile Sergio Roberto. Barcelona may have 99 problems but a dearth of technically gifted central midfielders is certainly not one of them.
Will Donny Van de Beek leave Manchester United after Solskjaer exit?
That may explain why, according to Sport, Xavi has turned down the chance to sign De Jong’s Netherlands international team-mate Donny Van de Beek during the January transfer window.
It is understood that Van de Beek, having been contacted by the now-departed Ramon Planes, was ‘delighted’ at the prospect of swapping Manchester United’s bench for a fresh start in Spain.
Van de Beek still has other offers on the table however.
A newly cash-rich Newcastle United opened talks with his representatives in October. Meanwhile Everton, having seen a loan deal for the former Ajax star fall through over the summer, are weighing up a new approach with the January transfer window just a few weeks away (Echo).
The creative, subtle Van de Beek, scored in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s final game as Manchester United boss at Watford, could suit Eddie Howe’s tactics down to the ground at Newcastle.
Everton, meanwhile, were badly lacking the sort of vision and composure he would bring to the table during their punishing 3-0 defeat at Manchester City on Sunday.
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