Barcelona teenage prospect makes promising start with youth team after summer move | OneFootball

Having arrived at the club in the summer, Mikael Baza has made an encouraging first impression at Barcelona after getting his first minutes in the club’s youth set-up.

The 16-year-old defender is already showing some of the qualities that convinced Barça to invest in him.

According to SPORT, Baza made his Barcelona debut against Vic a few days ago before featuring again on Friday against the senior side of Atletic Sant Just.

The second match provided a particularly demanding test because many of his opponents were older and physically more developed.

Baza impresses despite difficult test

Barcelona lost 2-1, with Atletic Sant Just’s greater experience and physical maturity making a difference, but Baza’s individual performance was viewed positively.

The left-footed centre-back looked strong when stepping into challenges, quick when covering space behind the defence and comfortable physically despite only recently joining his new team-mates.

Mikael Baza is a developmental bet by Barcelona. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images for DFB)

His quality in possession also stood out. Baza showed confidence when bringing the ball out from the back, an especially important trait for a young defender hoping to progress through Barcelona’s system.

Barcelona see rare profile in Baza

At more than 1.90 metres tall, Baza combines size with a naturally left-footed profile, something that makes him particularly interesting from a squad-building perspective.

Barcelona’s recruitment department has increasingly focused on identifying young players before competition from Europe’s biggest clubs becomes impossible to manage.

Baza fits that strategy alongside other recent additions, including Hamza Abdelkarim, Jesse Bisiwu, Josue Caicedo, Patricio Pacifico and Ajay Tavares.

The club are not expecting immediate first-team football, however. Baza has only just begun his first season at youth level and is still adapting to La Masia.

Deco and Joao Amaral masterclass

Deco and Joao Amaral have done an excellent job of setting up the scouting network that gives Barça an early advantage.

For a very long time, Barcelona almost exclusively depended on La Masia when it came to youngsters coming into the first team.

Deco and Amaral have signed gems like Hamza Abdelkarim in the recent past. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

However, Deco and Amaral have understood that, in this increasingly inflated market, it is important for them to stay ahead of the curve.

The likes of Hamza and Bisiwu already look like great business, and if Baza can keep up his good start, it will not be long before he joins that list.

It remains to be seen how Baza’s development pans out and whether he becomes a player Barcelona can count on in the coming years.