Another La Masia debutant. The LaLiga match against Deportivo Alavés saw an another first team debut for FC Barcelona. Álvaro Cortés got his first competitive runout in the blaugrana jersey, becoming another homegrown player to debut under Hansi Flick. As is the tradition after his special day, the Spanish centre back had his photo taken in front of the La Masia sign.

Cortés had the best possible opportunity to Vitoria – starting and playing a full match on a demanding stage. Wearing number 36, the defender played on the left side at the heart of the defence, first alongside Pau Cubarsí and then Jules Koundé. Over 90 minutes, he showed solidity, good reading of play in defence and quality on the ball, performing very well on his competitive debut.

Álvaro Cortés: "I'm going to keep putting in the effort"

In the La Masia gardens, the young centreback explained what it felt like, stating "I was a bit nervous, but I suppose that's normal. I was making my debut for the best team in the world, but I took it in my stride". One of the main reasons he could do that was sharing the moment with his family and the rest of the teams, as he went on "My family and teammates really helped me. I was relaxed, I knew what I had to do. It hasn't sunk in what happened, it was like a dream for me". He also went on to share what Hansi Flick said to him ahead of the game, saying that "The coach told me to do what I did in training, that he trusted me and that I had really improved". Lastly, he admitted that he would like the dream to continue as he said, "I'd love to be here as many years as possible; there's competition, but you have to put the effort in to get more chances".

Reward for consistency

Born in Zaragoza, Álvaro Cortés has developed season on season to become one of the most promising centre backs in the youth system. After being in the first team squad a few times, the defender finally got his chance to make his competitive debut.

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