Xavi Espart opens up about his rapid rise at Barcelona: ‘I’m living a dream’

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Barca News Network

·25 September 2026

Xavi Espart opens up about his rapid rise at Barcelona: ‘I’m living a dream’

Hansi Flick has never been shy about give playing time, and even a regular spot in his team, to any youngster from the FC Barcelona youth academy who shows that he deserves to play with the first team. The German coach has made players like Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Fermin Lopez, etc., important parts of his team, while also giving chances to several other youngsters.

One youngster who has made his way to the first team only this season is the versatile player Xavi Espart, who has played both as a fullback and as a midfielder for the first team. The Spaniard has had a memorable last year, during which he won the European U-19 Championship with Spain and also got to the first team with Barcelona.

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As Mundo Deportivo has reported, he appeared in an interview with the Spanish Football Federation after having been selected for the U-21 team for the first time. Espart opened up about how his incredible rise in football has impacted him personally:

“Everything has happened very quickly… I’m very grateful; I’m living a dream… My friends and family, who are all big Barça fans, are absolutely blown away. It makes me very proud to see that they are so happy with my success.”

Despite his surprise, the youngster assured that he believed he was ready to play for the first team:

“I’m very young, and I didn’t expect to be able to play so many minutes for Barça, but I knew that, if the opportunity came, I would be capable of doing it.”

The young Spaniard also opened up about his best position on the field:

“First and foremost, I’m a footballer. I have played as a pivot all my life, but in my second year of cadet football, they put me at right-back and I did well. I progressed through the ranks playing as a full-back, but if a midfielder was missing, they could put me there. That was something they liked, and at Barça I have played at left-back, I can play as an interior midfielder… I have always said that the important thing is to play.”

However, Espart also clarified that the shift in position was not easy for him:

“At first, it was quite difficult for me. I had accepted that I was playing at full-back, and if they put me at No. 6, I found it difficult to adapt, but you get used to it.”

The youngster was happy with the state of the U-21 team, but expressed his desire to make his way to the senior team:

“We have a great team, excellent-quality players, and we get on very well off the pitch… Being there with the senior national team would be incredible; that is where the best players are. It is something you dream about from a young age.”

With the way he has made his way to the Barcelona first team, it seems to be only a matter of time before Xavi Espart will be able to make it to the senior Spain team. Hopefully, he will be able to reach this milestone soon, but for that to happen, he will have to continue taking most advantage of any opportunities that come with the Blaugrana club.