Children who guarantee the future

“Children, children; future, future”That was what Lisa, Ralph, Milhouse and company sang in one of the always successful episodes of The Simpson. And they could sing the same a good handful of the youngest footballers who have participated in this recently concluded 2019/20 League, in a choir that would include the Luka Romero, Ansu Fati, Ander Barrenetxea, Germán Valera, Take Kubo, Bryan Gil, Rodrygo, Nico Melamed , Vinicius or Oihan Sancet. And it is that if anything has served this strange season of stoppage and restart, which will be remembered by the scourge of the coronavirus pandemic, it has been for the More smalls have gained prominence, proving that the future is at their feet.

From the youngest of all, Luka Romero, who made history on June 24 by playing his first minutes in LaLiga against Real Madrid, thus becoming the youngest rookie in Primera; up to Sancet, the oldest of the young and who this season has scored six goals and given an assist, they have all been noticed in their teams and have even broken different historical records.

“He is left-handed, quickie, rogue, bug, competitive … It has that prototype of Argentine 10 “, said Dani Pandín, second coach of Real Mallorca, when asked by Luka Romero (Durango, Mexico, 11/18/2004) back in June. The footballer, international in the lower categories of the Argentine team, had training with the first vermilion team from day 1 of the same month and the press was beginning to be interested in the possible debut of the boy from Mallorca.

After entering the call against Villarreal, on matchday 29, and against Leganés, on matchday 30, his big day arrived. On June 24, 2020, Luka Romero wrote his name in the history of Spanish soccer. In the 83rd minute of Real Madrid – Mallorca, the footballer Mexican —also with Argentine and Spanish nationality— he jumped onto the Valdebebas pitch and thus became the youngest rookie in First Division history, unseating Samson who had held this record for 81 years.

At 15 years and 219 days, the playmaker enjoyed a little while on the pitch, but could not help his team too much, which ended up losing 2-0. After this fleeting appearance, Luka Romero did not enjoy minutes in First Division again and Mallorca ended up losing the category, reason why its progression could continue in Second. The vermilion coaching staff certainly don't want to lose sight of you.

“He is strong, fast, pure self-confidence and total anarchy in his game”, this is how Víctor Valdés described Ansu Fati (Bisáu, Guinea-Bisáu, 10/31/2002) after the debut of the Spanish-Guinean player with the Barça shirt on August 25, 2019. At the beginning of the already finished campaign, the Barça exporter was Fati's coach in the youth of the Catalan club, but neither of them had continuity in that team, although for very different reasons. Valdés was dismissed in September and the Spanish-Guinean extreme continued to enjoy minutes in the Barça first team throughout the season, both with Ernesto Valverde and Quique Setién.

At 16 years, nine months and 25 days, Ansu Fati has been the third youngest footballer to have played in LaLiga in the 2019/20 season. And since the day of his debut he has not stopped breaking records. First, he became the second youngest player to debut with Barça in the highest category. Then in the youngest to score a goal with the azulgrana shirt in LaLiga… And so, until completing eight historical marks, in addition to a balance of eight goals and an assistance in all competitions.

Young and with an innate talent. Ander Barrenetxea (Donostia, 12/27/2001) also meets the requirements to enter this list of children that guarantee the future of our football. The txuri-urdin end is the fourth oldest footballer —At the moment of jumping to the field— who has participated this season in LaLiga, after Luka Romero and Rafael Obrador, from Mallorca, and Ansu Fati, from Barcelona. In addition, in its debut, on December 21, 2018, He became the first player born in the 21st century to have minutes in Primera. Another member of Generation Z or Centennial that has his name written in history.

Of course this is not his only record, Barrenetxea is also the Youngest scorer in the history of Real Sociedad in LaLiga (17 years and 136 days) Thanks to his goal against Real Madrid on May 12, 2019. Extreme speed and powerful shooting, his talent led him to become part of the first team of the Txuri-Urdin team and in the recently concluded season he has participated in 23 games between League and Cup and has scored three goals and given two assists.

Although he has only played one game in LaLiga —that of his 17-year-old debut on January 4, 2020 against Levante—, Germán Valera (Murcia, 03/16/2002) is one of the great soccer players of his generation. The winger of Atlético B was captain of the Spanish U-17 team that reached the semi-finals of the Euro Cup and the quarterfinals of the World Cup in that category and his transfer caused the break of relations between Villarreal and Atlético in 2018. Specifically, it was the yellow club that made that decision after the rojiblanca entity signed Valera that summer. In fact, later, in the month of October, there was not even food between directives in the previous match between both teams first.

Fast, with overflow, very vertical and a good left-handed, his talent served him, in addition to causing a breaking off, so that the Cholo Simeone set his eyes on him. Valera was summoned by the Argentine coach in the League matchday 19, for the match against Levante, and the Murcian player debuted with the red and white elastic in the Wanda Metropolitano at 17 years, 9 months and 19 days. He barely had time to demonstrate his skills – he played the three-minute regulation and many others added – but his career in lower categories and his great projection justify his being on the list of 21st century cracks.

With 18 years it has been one of the great sensations of LaLiga. He turned 19 just before the start of the post-confinement championship. Technician, with vision of the game, very skilled and an improper leadership for a player of his age, Takefusa Kubo (Kawasaki, Japan, 06/04/2001) has participated in 36 matches with Mallorca in the recently concluded 2019-20 campaign. Loaned by Real Madrid in the vermilion team, the Japanese has demonstrated his qualities, being one of the sensations of the championship, and now he has several Primera teams asking about him.

And is that when the Japanese goes with the ball at his feet it seems that none can stop you. It is almost impossible not to think about Champions: Oliver and Benji. He knows how to dodge his rivals with ease and a lot of elegance. “Kubo floats on the grass”, The former player and now a football analyst and collaborator of AS, Álvaro Benito, said about the Japanese. Of course, Kubo has also beaten some historical marks this campaign. Without going any further, on June 30, against Celta, he was crowned as the youngest foreign player to give more than one assist in a league game.

In Seville from the fry category, Bryan Gil (Barbate, 02/11/2001) has always been an advance within the Seville team. In fry, he played with the second year. At a young age, an Atlético de Madrid debuted in the First Division, daring to throw a pipe at Godín. It didn't come out. But now, at just 19 years old, he has played in LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Europa League.

This campaign has had to adapt to everything, Well, he started the course at Sevilla and finished it on loan at Leganés, but his projection is unquestionable. “If he doesn't have a mishap, he will be a player who will write important pages in the history of Seville and Spanish football,” said Joaquín Caparrós when he was director of Talent Development at Sevilla. And how this goes from record children, you should also write yours: First footballer born in the 21st century to give an assist in any of the five major European leagues. Extreme fast, skilled and with an exquisite technique, is another of the centennials that guarantee the future of LaLiga.

“He has a good change of pace, delicate technique and always plays with his head raised”, Jorge Valdano related to AS in an assessment about Rodrygo Goes (Osasco, Brazil, 01/09/2001). The Brazilian footballer, signed by Real Madrid in June 2018, landed in Spain in the summer of 2019. He was registered with the white subsidiary, but on September 13 he entered his first call with the majors. The next day he did not jump onto the field, so his league debut was made to wait until day six.

Before Osasuna, that September 25, Rodrygo had the dream debut: scored on the first ball he touched. Lightning It took just 95 seconds to score on his first day in the white shirt, thus becoming the rookie who takes the least time to score in La Liga in the entire history of Real Madrid. Your celebration with open arms and high head, typical of those who savor glory, it was recorded on the retina of more than one Madrid fan: that night, at the Bernabéu, a star had been born. Just a month and a half later, on November 6, Rodrygo confirmed it. Perfect hat-trick (right, left and head leg) to Galatasaray in the Champions League and pulverization of the record of Kylian Mbappé as the youngest footballer ever to do it. The Brazilian winger did it with 18 years and 301 days.

He has been playing for two seasons more than 30 games with Real Madrid, but Vinicius Junior (São Gonçalo, Brazil, 07/12/2000) is still a child. They prove it his innocent smile, his still somewhat petite appearance, his flirtations on Instagram and, of course, his age. With 20 years, about to face that invisible bridge between adolescence and adulthood, the Brazilian extreme is no surprise, but a reality. He has the present and the future at his feet.

This season he started setting a record with his compatriot Rodrygo: for the first time in history two footballers under the age of 20 scored in the same Champions League game. And he finished it in the best possible way: eclipsing Messi at Real Madrid – Barça on March 1, dethroning the Argentine as the youngest scorer in the history of the Clásico and raising the league title. Not even gathering all the Dragon Balls so many wishes could be fulfilled.

The relegated Espanyol already plans the next season with the sole objective of returning to Primera. The parakeet must gather experience and youth to achieve a solid and competitive block that allows it to fight for promotion. For this, it will have some of its most talented youth players, those who have been the only positive thing that 2020 left in Cornellà. Nico Melamed (Castelldefels, 04/11/2001) it was one of the good news. Of course, Espanyol will have to retain him because he is already on the radar of Chelsea, Bayern, Madrid or Barça …

From Argentine mom and grandfather, Melamed has dual nationality. He arrived at Espanyol in the children's category, he works as Offensive midfielder and complies with the same guarantees in more advanced positions such as the attacking midfielder or heeled in the band. In fact, with the subsidiary he scored seven goals this season. He is ambidextrous and international U19, and of course he also has several records to his credit. This campaign became the first footballer born in the 21st century to play for Espanyol and also the youngest to debut in Europe as a parakeet. In LaLiga, he enjoyed 180 minutes in six games since his premiere in the top flight on June 25, 2020.

For San Mamés there is a new puppy that is already roaring loudly. And it's not just any. Oihan Sancet (Pamplona, ​​04/25/2000) was already close to the Athletic first team in the summer of 2018, when Eduardo Berizzo arrived at the rojiblanco club. The Argentinian He fell in love Navarrese midfielder when he was still in the youth team and led him to do the preseason with the majors. That was going to be a campaign in which Sancet would train with the first team and play for Bilbao Athletic in Second B. However, everything was cut short on the second day of the league in the bronze category: the Navarrese broke the anterior cruciate ligament and the internal meniscus of his left knee. Primera's dream was fading, but only for the moment.

Why It took Sancet just six months to return to the playing fields, he made a great end of the season with the subsidiary and Gaizka Garitano, new coach of the first team, also noticed him. His debut in LaLiga 2019-20 was immediate. On the first day against Barça, on August 16, Lezama's new pearl jumped green in the 66th minute. The Navarrese midfielder did not stand out in a game little given to flourishes and ended with a great goal from Aduriz in 89 ', thus eclipsing all those present. “This shirt I will keep all my life,” declared the debutante. Surely then he did not even imagine that the campaign would end with 19 games played with Athletic between League and Cup, in which final you can even participate. Sancet is another of the children of tomorrow. UEFA included him in his list of 50 promises to follow along with Ansu Fati and Bryan Gil. The future, of course, is also yours.