La Masia pearl names Barcelona maestro as his inspiration – ‘He’s a magician’ | OneFootball

Ebrima Tunkara is widely regarded as the next big thing coming out of FC Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth academy.

Having turned 16 years old only recently, the versatile attacking midfielder is already a regular in the Catalans’ Juvenil A (U19) setup and has even broken into the Barça Atletic side.

Tunkara also happens to be one of the leaders of the Spanish Under-17 national team, and is currently away on international duty in the qualifiers for the U-17 European championships.

Tunkara discusses all things Barcelona

During an interview with the RFEF, Tunkara discussed his move to Barcelona as well as his career progression so far.

Opening up on his early days at La Masia, the 16-year-old wonderkid admitted that he initially was not fully aware of the magnitude of what Barcelona represented.

“At the time, I wasn’t really aware of what Barça was all about. I’d come from Africa and didn’t know much. I thought it was about making it into the first team; I didn’t know what it was all about,” Tunkara admitted.

The teenager also acknowledged how his initial trial at the club had not been straightforward at all due to multiple factors, saying:

“We went there, I did the trials, and it didn’t go very well on the first day. The move from Gambia to Spain was tough. It was hot there and very cold here, so I found it hard to adjust. They called us back another day and I did much better.”

Tunkara is a left-footed attacking midfielder with impressive physical ability who can play in several offensive positions. Despite his strength and speed, he prefers creativity and control when describing his style.

His biggest inspiration is Barcelona’s midfield star Pedri.

“My favourite is Pedri… He’s a magician, he’s brilliant. His ball control, his ability to read the spaces in the middle, his change of direction… He’s got it all,” the La Masia pearl admitted.

At the end of February, Tunkara made history by becoming the fourth youngest player ever to debut for Barça Atletic. Now he is focused on international duty with Spain’s U-17 squad during the qualifying phase of the European Championship in Northern Ireland.

Despite his rapid rise, Tunkara remains grounded and remembers where he came from. At the same time, he is also clear about his ambitions:

“I want to make my debut for the senior team and win European and World Championships.”