Joan Laporta sees Barcelona midfield wonderkid as a future club captain | OneFootball

Last evening, against Alaves, Marc Bernal returned to the Barcelona starting XI more than a year after his serious knee injury.

It has been a slow and demanding recovery, but the Blaugrana never stopped believing in one of the La Masia players earmarked as a first-team star since his early days in the academy.

Such is the faith in Bernal that Barcelona decided to renew his contract even before he had returned to the pitch, extending his deal until 2029 with the approval of the coaching staff and Hansi Flick.

Bernal a future captain, according to Laporta

Now, according to SPORT, Barcelona president Joan Laporta is one of the biggest supporters of Bernal and sees the midfield prodigy as a future club captain.

“If everything goes as we all want, one day you will be able to be captain of Barcelona”, the club president is understood to have told the teenage gem at the time of his contract renewal.

Future captain?. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The past year has not been easy for Bernal, given the seriousness of his injury and the long and difficult recovery. The 18-year-old academy ace has had to be patient, but has always had the backing of the coaching staff and the board.

Barça have been cautious in managing his return as they do not want surprises or setbacks after such a complicated operation. But Hansi Flick was clear that, from November onwards, he would start giving him minutes gradually.

As such, the expectation is that Bernal will receive more minutes as he settles into the team because he is the type of holding midfielder who fits the manager’s system.

In the summer, both the player and the club rejected multiple loan offers to stick to the plan and avoid sending him elsewhere to play full matches from September.

Now, with his first start of the season out of the way, Bernal is expected to grow in prominence. And Laporta will be closely following the youngster’s progress, hoping that his prophecy about the La Masia gem comes true.