northno one expected This explosion of Alejandro Balde. From the noble floor of the Camp Nou they believe that they have a pearl that can make a career of many years in the club, and from the dressing room they are perplexed by his performance. A performance that was not of the same magnitude last season when he had minutes in the first team, where he also played several times in advanced positions.

Before the arrival of Marcos Alonso in Barcelona, ​​​​despite the fact that his signing was taken for granted, the sports management valued the loan of the young winger. With the competition of Jordi Alba and the ex of Chelsea, the minutes for Balde were not going to be the desired ones and they preferred that he will start in a team of maximum demand in the elite because he will stay in the third category of Spanish football with the subsidiary.

Everything changed as the month of August progressed. Marcos Alonso was not yet the Barça footballer and Balde had to start the season as a substitute for Jordi Alba. After the first draw against Rayo Vallecano, Xavi wanted to give him a chance at Anoeta, one of the most complicated places in LaLiga. I fulfilled with a note and, since then, he has become a fixture in the lineups both on the left and on the right wing.

Balde is a fixture in the lineups of the league matches, but not like in Europe. In highly demanding matches, Xavi has opted for Marcos Alonso as a winger, as was seen in Munich and Milan and against Inter at the Camp Nou. At the Santiago Bernabu, for his part, he did enjoy the confidence of the coaching staff to be a starter but he was replaced in the second half by an Alba who has played the minutes he has played this season at a good level.

Bucket’s Professor

But precisely You cannot understand the free season without the presence of dawn. The absolute international is being a guide for the youth player, who still has rookie mistakes. A ‘professor’ to whom Balde listens carefully, since he has been following him for years since he was one of the others in La Masa and Alba stood as one of the best full-backs in Europe.

In the cadet stage, he already noticed l. He made him look at the side of the first team with videos and live matches. That ‘timing’, the pause that Jordi Alba had, and still has upon reaching the mediations of the opposing goalkeeper. Raising his head to find the free man and putting the ball at his partner’s foot. And in that Balde was improving. In the youth stage he was polishing the arrivals to the rival area without losing that speed that characterizes him. In addition, he began to gain muscle and power, something that was noticeable defensively.

The relationship between the two is good and, above all, fluid. More than in offensive aspects, where Balde is dazzling, he is very superior in defensive aspects. Of positioning. For the youth squad, Alba has always been a benchmark. An fraud, as he has published on his social networks. It has also been very important for integration into the first team dressing room, something that is always difficult for a boy who comes from below. Not because of the wardrobe itself, but because of his shyness, a characteristic piece of Balde’s personality.

With Marcos Alonso practically out of the equation, since Xavi is using him more as a left center back, the winger is left for Jordi and Alejandro. teacher and student. A relationship of which both are proud and from which only positive things can come out in Barcelona. And, how could it be otherwise, with the renewal of Bucket on the table. His contract expires in 2024 and they do not want to take long to tie up one of the biggest surprises of the season.