By Brian Bariyo Tumuramye
Barcelona teenager Ansu Fati has been cleared to represent Spain by FIFA, and is likely to be picked at some level in the next international break.
The 16-year-old became a Spanish resident last month, but football governing body FIFA needed to ensure he was eligible to represent his adopted country.
Ansu Fati was born on born 31 October 2002 in Guinea-Bissau, but is a Spanish national, receiving his citizenship in September 2019, FIFA needed to clarify that he had not represented the country of his birth, and now they are satisfied, he is clear to represent his adopted homeland.
The paperwork came too late for him to be included in the Spain Under-21 squad for their match with Montenegro on October 15 while Fati was not selected for the U17 World Cup, which will be played in Brazil between October 26 and November 17 he will remain with the Blaugrana during that period and could even feature in the first Clasico of the season, which will take place on the first day of the U17 tournament.
Though it is most likely Fati will join up with Luis de la Fuente’s U21 squad for matches with North Macedonia and Israel in November, there is speculation that Robert Moreno may call him up for the first team.
Moreno’s team will face Malta and Romania on November 15 and 18 respectively, were Fati to make the jump to the senior side it would represent another milestone in a meteoric rise to prominence for the youngster.
He was thought to be a long way from the first team at Camp Nou to start the season, but an injury crisis forced head coach Ernesto Valverde’s hand Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele’s absences left the coach with no choice but to look to Barcelona B for forward options.
Fati only trained with the first team four days before making his LaLiga debut against Real Betis on August 25, becoming the second-youngest player to represent the Catalan giants. His youth meant he needed parental permission to make his Primera Division bow, his first start, later the same week, against Osasuna, saw him become Barcelona’s youngest ever La Liga goalscorer, and the third youngest in the competition’s history.
He has also started a Champion League game against Borussia Dortmund, the youngest Barca player ever to do so, and third youngest in the history of Europe’s elite club competition now he is eligible to play for Spain, an appearance at next summer’s European Championships would cap off a historic season for the starlet.
