Gavi And Alejandro Balde Named Among Top 10 Most Promising Youngsters By CIES Football Observatory
Barcelona midfielder Gavi has been named the most promising youngster by the CIES Football Observatory. The publication released a list of 200 U20 players in 75 leagues around the world ‘who have accumulated the most official game experience during last year’.
Interestingly enough, the metric system used by CIES put Gavi on top, considerably ahead of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham. The top five places are occupied by Marcos Leonardo of Santos, Antonio Silva of Benfica and Barcelona target Vitor Roque.
According to CIES, “the ranking was established according to the experience capital method, taking into account the minutes played in official games during the last 365 days, the sporting level of the matches and the results.”
Barcelona have as many as two representatives in the top 10 list, with young left-back Alejandro Balde acquiring the sixth spot. AZ’s Milos Kerkez, Real Madrid’s Endrick Felipe, Santos’ Angelo Gabriel and Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko complete the top 10 list.
Gavi’s inclusion and his place at the top is certainly not a surprise considering how useful he has been for Xavi this season, especially in the second half. The 18-year-old has been used across many positions and he has stepped up when the likes of Frenkie de Jong and Pedri were unavailable due to injuries.
This season, the midfielder has clocked a total of 2,139 minutes in La Liga alone, scoring a goal and providing three assists. As far as Balde is concerned, he has played 27 league games, clocking just over 2,000 minutes in return.
Irony as it may seem, the list includes a couple of players who Barcelona are either pursuing at the moment or shown interest in the past. In that regard, Vitor Roque can be put into the former category while Moukoko can come into the latter.
