Why you should be excited about new Barcelona starlet Munir El-Haddadi?
Aug 25, 2014 14:50 Opinion
by Sam Marsden
The youngster has enjoyed an incredible rise through La Masia and has forced his way into the first team - sending much vaunted Gerard Deulofeu elsewhere
Luis Enrique's installation as Barcelona boss this summer was always likely to be a good thing for the Catalan club's young players.
A
man of the Barca way, he swapped the Clasico divide as a player and
went onto manage Barca B before returning for the top job after spells
in charge of Roma and Celta Vigo.
One of his first actions in his
new role was to announce that Gerard Deulofeu and Rafinha would return
to the first team after spending last season on loan at Everton and Celta respectively.
Deulofeu
has long been tipped as a future star and several factors appeared to
have played into his favour this season. Alexis Sanchez was sold, while
his replacement, Luis Suarez, is banned until the end of October. And
with Neymar struggling with a back injury after the World Cup, it seemed
likely the 20-year-old's time was at last on the horizon.
However, it now seems those factors were aligning for someone else, someone younger. On Sunday night Barca opened their La Liga campaign
with a 3-0 win over Elche, and while Lionel Messi was in scintillating
form, scoring a brace, it was 18-year-old Munir El Haddadi's name that
was on the fans’ lips as they exited Camp Nou at midnight.
It's
been a meteoric year for Munir, who only made his debut for Barca B in
March. He'd already hit the bar in the first half against Elche,
dropping his shoulder and unloading a sweet drive which shook the
woodwork, when he seized his big chance moments into the second half.
Ivan Rakitic's lofted pass dropped to him just inside the Elche area; he
showed no nerves in producing a delicate left-footed finish into the
corner.
"I had no fear about playing him," Enrique
confided after the match. "He trains like he plays, he gives us a lot
of options and he has a lot of character. He never rests. But let's not
get carried away, he still has a lot to do."
Many link the rise of
Munir - born in El Escorial, a mountain town just north of Madrid -
with the departure of Deulofeu, who has been loaned to Sevilla for the
season. Enrique smiled when that point was made, suggesting it made more
sense to keep Munir because he can still alternated between Barca and
Barca B, however it would be foolish to think the teenager's form in
pre-season wasn't a factor in that decision.
With four goals, he was the club's top scorer across their five friendly matches. For those well drilled with the Catalan club,
it was no surprise to see him thriving. He may only have made 12
appearances for Eusebio’s B team, but he ended last season's UEFA Youth
League as the top scorer, with 11 goals, crowning the final with a brace
in a 3-0 win over Benfica - one gracefully thumped home from the
halfway line.
