The match against Deportivo Alavés brought another debut for FC Barcelona’s first team. Álvaro Cortés played his first official minutes for the side, becoming the thirteenth player developed in the club’s youth system to make his debut under Hansi Flick.

Home grown talent

The debut of the Aragonese defender once again confirms the German coach’s faith in talent emerging from La Masia since the start of the 2024/25 season.

The first to debut were Marc Bernal, Gerard Martín and Pau Víctor, who all made their debuts on 17 August 2024 in the league match against Valencia.

A few days later, Dani Olmo also made his debut, although his case is different because, despite playing at the club between 2008 and 2014, he left for Dinamo Zagreb before returning to Barça in the summer of 2024 from Leipzig. That same season also saw the debuts of Sergi Domínguez, Andrés Cuenca, Toni Fernández and Dani Rodríguez.

In the 2025/26 season came the debuts of Jofre Torrents, Dro (Pedro Fernández), Tommy Marquès and Xavi Espart. Now Cortés joins this list of homegrown footballers who have earned their first minutes with the first team during the Flick era.

Starting XI

The Zaragoza-born centre-back experienced a very special day in Vitoria. After several call-ups with the first team, Flick gave him the opportunity to debut in the starting eleven, and he completed the full 90 minutes.

Wearing the number 36 shirt, he played as the left-sided centre-back, first alongside Pau Cubarsí and later partnering Jules Koundé.

Comfortable in building play and very solid defensively, Cortés completed an impressive debut despite the final defeat.

Not alone

This latest debut reinforces the importance of youth development at the club. Some of these players have gradually taken on more prominent roles within the squad.

This is the case for Gerard Martín, now established as a regular part of the rotation, and Marc Bernal, who has regained continuity after recovering from a long injury layoff.

In addition, several very young players who had already debuted in previous seasons have become firmly established in Flick’s plans, including Pau Cubarsí, Lamine Yamal, Fermín, Eric Garcia and Alejandro Balde.

 

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