A new star has emerged at Camp Nou and shattered numerous records. He is the 17-year-old forward Marc Guiu. It took him only 34 seconds on the field to score a goal that helped Barcelona defeat Bilbao 1-0.
Guiu’s Unexpected Heroics & Records
On a day when the renowned forward Robert Lewandowski was absent due to injury, Barcelona’s attack struggled against the visiting Bilbao team. In the 79th minute, coach Xavi decided to take a bold gamble. He substituted midfielder Fermin Lopez with the 17-year-old striker Marc Guiu. In his first touch in La Liga, this rising star immediately became Barcelona’s hero.
From a brilliant through pass breaking the Bilbao defense organized by Joao Felix, Guiu cleverly eluded the marking of two opposing defenders. He displayed a powerful burst of speed into the penalty area of the Basque team. Guiu then calmly controlled the ball with his left foot, followed by a low and decisive right-footed shot that defeated the goalkeeper Unai Simon.
On his day as Barcelona’s hero, Guiu entered the history books at 17 years and 291 days as the youngest Barcelona player to score a goal in his La Liga debut in the 21st century. With just 34 seconds, this young talent also became the fastest goal scorer in the history of Barcelona in their debut match in the top league of Spain.
Who Is Guiu?
The full name of the sensational star in La Liga is Marc Guiu Paz. He is part of the 2006 youth academy. Guiu is an outstanding product of Barcelona’s prestigious La Masia training center. Guiu joined Barcelona’s youth football academy at the age of 7. In the recent summer training camp, coach Xavi called him up to the first team, and played in a friendly match in Japan against Vissel Kobe. On that day, he came on in the second half to replace forward Robert Lewandowski.
Guiu is highly regarded by Barcelona’s youth team coach, Ivan Carrasco, for his progress and professionalism. “I am delighted that Marc Guiu has moved to the first team. He truly deserves it. I can say with confidence that he is a ‘perfect 10.’ Guiu is one of the hardest-working and most dedicated players on the team. He serves as a shining example to other young players.”
Guiu’s Preferred Position
Guiu is considered a classic “number 9.” The 17-year-old forward is praised by experts as a goal-poacher inside the penalty area. Guiu’s strengths lie in his excellent physical condition, speed, ability to exploit space and aerial solid duels. He also possesses strong individual technical skills and can finish with both feet. To some extent, Guiu’s playing style is quite similar to that of Manchester City’s forward, Erling Haaland.
An interesting detail about Guiu is that The Guardian recently voted him one of the best players of the 2006 generation worldwide. This is quite surprising for a player who had only played 20 matches for Barcelona’s U-19 A and B teams this season. What Guiu needs to improve shortly is his range of operation. He needs to experiment with playing in wide-forward or deep-lying-forward roles.
Guiu’s Future at Barcelona
Barcelona currently has no shortage of forwards. However, coach Xavi has only one “number 9,” Robert Lewandowski. Nevertheless, the Polish star is 35 years old this year and cannot play continuously at a high intensity, often succumbing to injuries.
In this context, the appearance of a “classic number 9” like Guiu at Barcelona presents an opportunity for Coach Xavi. Therefore, he is sure to create conditions for this young talent to play more frequently in the near future. There is every reason to believe that under the guidance of an excellent goal scorer like Lewy, Guiu will go far.
After his performance in the Bilbao match, Guiu received numerous praises from Coach Xavi. The former Spanish international hailed this young star as a “naturally gifted goal poacher.”
