Barcelona remain convinced 22-year-old homegrown star can rediscover his best form | OneFootball

Back in the 2022-23 season, when Alejandro Balde had his breakthrough campaign under Xavi Hernandez, it felt like Barcelona had finally found their long-term successor to Jordi Alba on the left flank.

Such was Balde’s impact in his initial months in the first team that he displaced Alba as the starting left-back for Barça over the course of the season.

Alba eventually left the club at the end of the season and, since then, Balde has been the Catalans’ undisputed first choice whenever fit.

It was only in January 2026, when Barcelona signed Joao Cancelo on loan from Al Hilal, that his position came under scrutiny for the first time.

Balde’s development has stalled in recent seasons, and he has not matured much from the player he was a few seasons ago.

Barcelona have been trying to sign Joao Cancelo permanently this summer, and the Portuguese player could emerge as the first-choice left-back if he signs for the club.

Barcelona still have complete faith in Balde

Barcelona have full faith in Balde. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Now, according to SPORT, Balde is approaching the new season determined to reclaim his place in Hansi Flick’s starting XI.

Barcelona remain fully confident that the La Masia graduate can return to his best after an injury-disrupted campaign.

The 22-year-old has made his recovery and preparation for the new season his top priority, putting in extensive work away from the club throughout the summer.

There is still a strong belief that Balde possesses the qualities to be a top-quality left-back and that, with consistent fitness, he can reach that level again.

Intensive summer preparation

Determined to avoid another difficult season, the Spaniard spent much of the off-season working with a personal fitness coach and completing specialised sessions at high-performance training centres.

Even after rejoining Barcelona, the defender initially followed an individual workload because of minor discomfort, with the coaching staff choosing to manage his minutes carefully rather than take unnecessary risks.

Balde will face competition from Joao Cancelo. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Now fully recovered, the player is raring to go ahead of the new season.

No desire to leave Barcelona

Despite constant speculation regarding Balde’s future, there has been no consideration from either party to part ways this summer.

Barcelona have never viewed Balde as a player they wanted to move on, believing instead that the best version of the academy graduate is still to come.

However, Hansi Flick faces a challenge. He needs to work with the Spaniard closely to take his game to the next level.

If Balde can put in the hard work and slowly reach his best level, the left-back position is likely to be sorted for Barça for the next decade.

Cancelo’s presence should not deter Balde, and the duo can help Flick in the left-back position for this campaign and beyond.