Ansu Fati will come of age on the 31st. Luis Enrique keeps repeating that you have to take care of him “because he is not even 18 years old”. “It is a job that all of us around him are going to take care of, both in the National Team and in his Club, and of course also in his family.” The kid, who has just been chosen as the player of the month in LaLiga, had a spectacular start with the National Team. Last night, against Switzerland, it was not so bad. He ended up being replaced by Adama Traoré, which has become another event.
On the protection for Ansu Fati there is division of opinions. Luis Enrique's is public. But many other precedents do not agree with him. For example and without going any further with the two greatest (with Messi's permission) in history: Pelé and Maradona. TOnsu Fati debuted in the First Division at 16 years and 298 days, while both the Argentine and the Brazilian did before, with 15.
Pelé was already 17-year-old World Champion, an achievement that Ronaldo Nazario also achieved. Another giant, Cruyff, was already Johan Cruyff with the same age that Ansu is now. None of the above had the overprotection of their coaches, the public or their environment. They played everything that was put in front of them as teenagers, they were mass idols while still children and they became rich, themselves and their families, before they came of age.
But times have changed and now the minor is also protected in football, which was precisely and until now, where the identity card was not looked at. “He who is good is good and has to always play precisely because of that”, said maestro Menotti. Another Argentine, Simeone, is also from this trend. He went through that himself. At the age of 17, he was already the captain of the Argentina team at the 1989 World Youth Championship, which was played in Saudi Arabia.. The same happened with his country, Italy, to another legend: Paolo Maldini. And more current players, still active, also threw the team on their back with acne on their faces, including two who passed through Spain: James and Falcao.