Gavi (footballer)

Last updated

Gavi
Gavi (footballer).jpg
Gavi training with Barcelona in 2022
Personal information
Full name Pablo Martín Páez Gavira [1]
Date of birth (2004-08-05) 5 August 2004 (age 19) [1]
Place of birth Los Palacios y Villafranca, Spain
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) [2]
Position(s) Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Barcelona
Number 6
Youth career
2010–2013 La Liara
2013–2015 Betis
2015–2021 Barcelona
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2021 Barcelona B 3 (0)
2021– Barcelona 82 (5)
International career‡
2018–2020 Spain U15 4 (1)
2019–2020 Spain U16 7 (0)
2019–2020 Catalonia U16 4 (0)
2020–2021 Spain U18 3 (0)
2021– Spain 27 (5)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing Flag of Spain.svg  Spain
UEFA Nations League
Winner 2023 Netherlands
Runner-up 2021 Italy
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 November 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2023

Pablo Martín Páez Gavira (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpaβlomaɾˈtimˈpaeθɣaˈβiɾa] ; [3] born 5 August 2004), known as Gavi (pronounced [ˈɡaβi] ), is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team. [4] [5]

Contents

In 2022, Gavi won the Golden Boy award and received the Kopa Trophy, awarded by France Football during the 2022 Ballon d'Or ceremony.

Early life

Gavi was born in Los Palacios y Villafranca, Sevilla, Andalusia. [1] [6]

Club career

Early career

Gavi started his career at La Liara Balompié, a club in his hometown, where he spent two years, between 2010 and 2012. [7] From there he moved on to Real Betis's youth academy, where he spent two seasons. [8] [9] He scored 95 goals for the youth team of Real Betis. [10]

Barcelona

Youth career

In 2015, at the age of 11, he signed for Barcelona. [11] [12]

In September 2020, he signed his first professional contract with the Catalan club, and was promoted directly from the under-16 team to the under-19 team. [13] [14] He made his debut for Barcelona B on 21 February 2021, in the 6–0 home routing of L'Hospitalet, coming on as a substitute for Nico González in the 77th minute. [15] He made his first start for Barça B the following 14 March in a 1–0 derby win against Espanyol B at the Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque. [16]

2021–22 season

Having featured twice for Barcelona B in the 2020–21 season, Gavi was promoted to the senior squad for pre-season friendlies with the first team ahead of the start of the new season. [17] [18] After good performances in wins against Gimnàstic de Tarragona and Girona, Gavi was reported to have pushed ahead of Riqui Puig in manager Ronald Koeman's squad selection. [19] [20] He continued this good run of form in a 3–0 win against German opposition VfB Stuttgart, earning comparisons with Barcelona legend Xavi. [21] [22]

On 29 August 2021, he played his first official match for Barcelona's first team in the 2–1 La Liga win over Getafe, replacing Sergi Roberto in the 73rd minute. On 18 December, he scored his first goal for the club and provided an assist in the 3–2 home win over Elche. [23]

2022–23 season

On 15 January 2023, Gavi scored a goal and provided two assists to be named man of the match in a 3–1 victory over Real Madrid in the Supercopa de España Final. [24] On 31 January, a Spanish court ruled in favor of accepting Gavi's new contract with Barcelona until 2026, signed in September the previous year, despite opposition from La Liga president Javier Tebas who argued that the new deal would not fit in the club's salary limit that season. [25] On the same day, Barcelona announced that Gavi would acquire the number 6 shirt, previously worn by his coach Xavi. [26] On 21 March, a court ruling ordered that the new deal to be revoked as it would exceed the club's salary limit, and a return to his previous enrolment as a youth-team player with his old number 30 shirt. [27] [28] [29]

On 20 June 2023, Barcelona managed to complete Gavi's registration to La Liga as a first-team player, subsequently extended his contract with Barcelona until June 2026, which contains a release clause of €1bn. [30]

International career

Gavi has represented Spain at under-15 and under-16 level. [1] [10]

On 30 September 2021, Gavi received a surprise call-up to the senior Spain national team by the manager Luis Enrique. He made his debut in their UEFA Nations League semi-final win against Italy on 6 October, becoming the youngest player to ever represent Spain at senior level. [31] [32] In the final against France on 10 October, Spain ultimately suffered a 2–1 defeat. [33] On 5 June 2022, he scored his first senior goal in the Nations League away against the Czech Republic, becoming the youngest player to ever score representing Spain at senior level. [34]

Gavi was named in Spain's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, in which he started in all four matches. [35] With his goal against Costa Rica in Spain's first game of the tournament, Gavi became the third youngest player (only behind Pelé and Manuel Rosas) to score in a World Cup match. [36]

On 19 November 2023, Gavi sustained an ACL injury in his right knee and a damaged meniscus during a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match against Georgia, with fears it would force him to miss both the Euro 2024 finals and the 2024 Olympic Games for Spain. [37]

Style of play

Graham Hunter of ESPN hailed Gavi as a highly promising young player in 2021, comparing him to former Barcelona midfielders Xavi and Andrés Iniesta due to his qualities as a footballer, including his dribbling, anticipation, intelligence, vision, passing, first touch, close control, change of pace, and ability to turn quickly to get out of tight spaces and initiate counter-attacks. [38] Following his performance in Spain's semi-final victory over Italy in the 2021 Nations League Finals, Italian defender Emerson Palmieri described Gavi as a player who "has huge potential". [32]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 7 November 2023 [39]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague Copa del Rey EuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Barcelona B 2020–21 Segunda División B 20———20
2021–22 Primera División RFEF 10———10
Total30———30
Barcelona 2021–22 La Liga 3421011 [lower-alpha 1] 01 [lower-alpha 2] 0472
2022–23 La Liga362506 [lower-alpha 3] 02 [lower-alpha 2] 1493
2023–24 La Liga121003 [lower-alpha 4] 100152
Total82560201311117
Career total85560201311147
  1. ↑ Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, five appearances in UEFA Europa League
  2. 1 2 Appearance(s) in Supercopa de España
  3. ↑ Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Europa League
  4. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 19 November 2023 [40]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Spain 202140
2022133
2023102
Total275
As of match played 15 October 2023
Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Gavi goal [40]
List of international goals scored by Gavi
No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetitionRef.
15 June 2022 Sinobo Stadium, Prague, Czech Republic8Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 1–12–2 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A [41]
217 November 2022 Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan13Flag of Jordan.svg  Jordan 2–03–1 Friendly [42]
323 November 2022 Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar14Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica 5–07–0 2022 FIFA World Cup [43]
412 September 2023 Nuevo Los Cármenes, Granada, Spain23Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus 1–06–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying [44]
515 October 2023 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway25Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1–01–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying [45]

Honours

Barcelona

Spain

Individual

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FC Barcelona</span> Spanish sports club association

Futbol Club Barcelona, commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça, is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Koeman</span> Dutch football manager (born 1963)

Ronald Koeman is a Dutch professional football manager and former player who is the manager of the Netherlands national team. Koeman scored over 250 goals whilst playing in defence for the majority of his career. Koeman was capable of playing both as a defender and as a midfielder; he frequently played as a sweeper, although he was equally known for his goalscoring, long-range shooting, and accuracy from free kicks and penalties. Because of his goalscoring, he is considered one of the best attacking center backs of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xavi</span> Spanish footballer and manager (born 1980)

Xavier Hernández Creus, also known as Xavi Hernández or simply Xavi, is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who manages La Liga club Barcelona. Widely considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Xavi was renowned for his passing, vision, ball retention, and positioning. He won 32 trophies in his career, making him the second-most decorated Spanish player in history, behind former teammate Andrés Iniesta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrés Iniesta</span> Spanish footballer (born 1984)

Andrés Iniesta Luján is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for UAE Pro League club Emirates. Widely considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time, he was lauded for his balance, ball control and agility in close spaces, combined with his skill, composure, and flair on the ball. Iniesta has spent most of his career at Barcelona, where he played a major role in the club's success along with his midfield partners Xavi and Sergio Busquets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frenkie de Jong</span> Dutch footballer (born 1997)

Frenkie de Jong is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona and the Netherlands national team. De Jong is known for his vision, passing, dribbling, technique, along with strong defensive abilities and his attacking prowess.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aitana Bonmatí</span> Spanish footballer (born 1998)

Aitana Bonmatí Conca ; born 18 January 1998) is a Spanish professional footballer from Catalonia who plays as a midfielder for Liga F club Barcelona and the Spain national team. She has also represented Catalonia. She is considered one of the best players in women's football, and won the Ballon d'Or and The Best FIFA Women's Player Award for the 2022–23 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric García (footballer, born 2001)</span> Spanish footballer (born 2001)

Eric García Martret is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Girona, on loan from Barcelona, and the Spain national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pedri</span> Spanish footballer (born 2002)

Pedro González López, commonly known as Pedri, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ansu Fati</span> Footballer (born 2002)

Anssumane Fati Vieira is a professional footballer who plays as a forward or left winger for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, on loan from La Liga club Barcelona. Born in Guinea-Bissau, he plays for the Spain national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iñaki Peña</span> Spanish footballer (born 1999)

Ignacio "Iñaki" Peña Sotorres is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Barcelona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilaix Moriba</span> Guinean footballer (born 2003)

Moriba Kourouma Kourouma, known as Ilaix Moriba, is a Guinean professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club Getafe, on loan from Bundesliga club RB Leipzig and the Guinea national team.

The 2021–22 season was the 122nd season in the existence of Futbol Club Barcelona and its 91st consecutive season in the top flight of Spanish football. In addition to the domestic league, Barcelona participated in this season's editions of the Copa del Rey, the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Champions League, and the UEFA Europa League, entering the latter competition for the first time since 2003–04. This was also the first season since 2003–04 not to feature Lionel Messi, who transferred to Paris Saint-Germain after his contract expired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alejandro Balde</span> Spanish footballer (born 2003)

Alejandro Balde Martínez is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nico González (footballer, born 2002)</span> Spanish footballer

Nicolás González Iglesias, sometimes known as just Nico, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primeira Liga club Porto.

Ilias Akhomach Chakkour is a professional footballer who plays a right winger for La Liga club Villarreal. Born in Spain, he is a youth international for Morocco.

The 2022–23 Futbol Club Barcelona season was the club's 123rd season in existence and their 92nd consecutive season in the top flight. In addition to the domestic league, Barcelona participated in this season's editions of the Copa del Rey, the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Champions League, and the UEFA Europa League. The season covered the period from 1 July 2022 until 30 June 2023.

Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right winger for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team. He is widely regarded as one of the most promising young players in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023–24 FC Barcelona season</span> Barcelona 2023–24 football season

The 2023–24 Futbol Club Barcelona season is the club's 124th season in existence and their 93rd consecutive season in the top flight. In addition to the domestic league, Barcelona is participating in this season's editions of the Copa del Rey, the Supercopa de España and the UEFA Champions League. The season covers the period from 1 July 2023 until 30 June 2024.

Fermín López Marín is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Barcelona.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gavi at WorldFootball.net
  2. ↑ "Gavi | 2022/2023 player page | Midfielder". FC Barcelona Official website. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  3. ↑ In isolation, Martín and Gavira are pronounced [maɾˈtin] and [ɡaˈβiɾa] respectively.
  4. ↑ "Camavinga and Gavi fight it out for the Golden Boy Award". Marca. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  5. ↑ Williams, George (4 April 2022). "Gavi collects the 'Next Generation' award as the third best young player in the world". Sports Finding. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  6. ↑ Navarro, Cristina (6 September 2021). ""El equipo de Gavi"" ["Gavi's Team"]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  7. ↑ Hart, Simon (8 December 2021). "Gavi: The FC Barcelona youngster with undone laces who was 'born' for the big stage". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  8. ↑ Cala, Rafael (8 October 2021). "La Liara reivindica a Gavi: "Era Oliver Atom"" [La Liara vindicates Gavi: "He was Oliver Atom"]. estadiodeportivo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  9. ↑ "A special fixture for Gavi". FC Barcelona. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  10. 1 2 Navarro, Alicia (4 December 2018). "Gavi, el maestro de La Masía" [Gavi, the maestro of La Masía]. vavel.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  11. ↑ Sanderson, Tom (30 July 2021). "FC Barcelona Preseason Has Seen Coach Ronald Koeman Find New 'Golden Boys'". forbes.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  12. ↑ Kulig, Jacek (19 May 2020). "Scouting report on Pablo Paez 'Gavi' - the little maestro from La Masia". tribuna.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  13. ↑ "Young star Gavi signs new contract with Barcelona". sport.es. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  14. ↑ Soldevila, Adrià (3 June 2021). "Gavi: La Masia wonderkid set to be the future of Barcelona's midfield". goal.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  15. ↑ "Gavi becomes 14th Under-19s player to debut for Barça B under Garcia Pimienta". FC Barcelona. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  16. ↑ Rogé, Albert (14 March 2021). "La fiesta 'juvenil' del Barça B hunde al RCD Espanyol B". sport.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  17. ↑ Sharma, Rik (2 August 2021). "Gavi, Demir & the Barcelona wonderkids impressing Koeman in pre-season". goal.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  18. ↑ Bona, German (17 July 2021). "Gavi, puro arte y mucho duende". sport.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  19. ↑ Martínez, Ferran (22 July 2021). "Gavi se creció entre los mayores en su debut". mundodeportivo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  20. ↑ Clark, Gill (27 July 2021). "Koeman Prefers Barcelona Teen To Riqui Puig: Report". heavy.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  21. ↑ König, Kosta (2 August 2021). "16-year-old Barca kid Gavi stuns fans with fantastic performance, gets compared to Xavi". tribuna.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  22. ↑ Law, Joshua (2 August 2021). "Gavi & a delicate touch that showed he could well be Barcelona's new Xavi". planetfootball.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  23. ↑ "First goals for Gavi and Jutglà". FC Barcelona. 18 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  24. ↑ "Barcelona ease past Real Madrid to win Spanish Super Cup as PSG lose again". The Guardian. 15 January 2023.
  25. ↑ Marsden, Sam; Llorens, Moises (31 January 2023). "Court ruling allows Barcelona to register Gavi's new contract; LaLiga to appeal". ESPN.
  26. ↑ "Gavi to wear the number 6 jersey for Barça". FC Barcelona. 31 January 2023.
  27. ↑ Marsden, Sam; Llorens, Moises (21 March 2023). "Barcelona to appeal court's decision to reverse Gavi's registration - source". ESPN.
  28. ↑ Ballús, Pol. "Gavi could leave Barcelona for free after court ruling". The Athletic. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  29. ↑ "Dear Gavi, here's why you should join [insert club name] on a free transfer". The Athletic. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  30. ↑ "Barcelona complete Gavi registration with La Liga". OneFootball. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  31. ↑ "Italy 1 Spain 2". BBC Sport. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  32. 1 2 Lowe, Sid (8 October 2021). "How 17-year-old Gavi became Spain's present and future". ESPN. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  33. ↑ "Spain vs. France – Football Match Report". ESPN. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  34. ↑ "Gavi becomes youngest ever goalscorer for Spanish national side". FC Barcelona. 6 June 2022. Archived from the original on 12 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  35. ↑ "Spain at the 2022 World Cup: who is in Luis Enrique's 26-man squad?". Reuters. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  36. ↑ Furniss, Matt (23 November 2022). "The Youngest Players to Score at a World Cup". The Analyst. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  37. ↑ Sanderson, Tom (19 November 2023). "FC Barcelona Star Gavi Tears ACL And Is Out For Rest Of Season, AS Reports". Forbes. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  38. ↑ Hunter, Graham (28 September 2021). "Ansu Fati and Gavi are Barcelona's future rising from the depths of a lost season". ESPN. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  39. ↑ "Gavi: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  40. 1 2 "Gavi". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  41. ↑ "Czech Republic vs. Spain 2–2: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  42. ↑ "Jordan vs. Spain 1–3: Summary". Soccerway.
  43. ↑ "Spain vs. Costa Rica 7–0: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  44. ↑ "Spain vs. Cyprus 6–0: Summary". Soccerway.
  45. ↑ "Spain vs. Norway 1–0: Summary". Soccerway.
  46. ↑ "FC Barcelona, Liga champions 2022/23!". FC Barcelona. 14 May 2023.
  47. ↑ "Spanish Super Cup: Barcelona beat Real Madrid". BBC Sport. 15 January 2023.
  48. ↑ "Gavi (Barça), vainqueur du Trophée Kopa 2022". l'équipe. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  49. ↑ "DIRETTA Il Golden Boy 2022 è Gavi!". Tuttosport. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  50. ↑ "IFFHS MEN'S WORLD YOUTH (U20) TEAM 2022". 12 January 2023.
  51. ↑ "IFFHS MEN'S YOUTH (U20) WORLD TEAM 2023". IFFHS. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  52. ↑ "IFFHS MEN'S CONTINENTAL YOUTH (U20) TEAMS 2022 - UEFA". 26 January 2023.
  53. ↑ "IFFHS MEN'S YOUTH (U20) UEFA TEAM 2023". 5 February 2024.
  54. ↑ FCBarcelona (9 February 2023). "Alexia and Gavi receive the Aldo Rovira award for the 2021/22 season". fcbarcelona. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.