Ansu Fati breaks his drought: three months later he plays again with Barça

And one day, Ansu Fati felt like a player again and wore the FC Barcelona jersey in an official match. The 22-year-old young forward saw some minutes in the resounding Azulgrana victory by 4-0 against Borussia Dortmund, in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25.

Hansi Flick gave the youth player entry in the 85th minute of the match, replacing the young star Lamine Yamal. His entry onto the field at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys was received with a small ovation that reflected the affection that the fans still have for him. He was placed in his usual area, the left wing, showing impetus and desire to participate.

Although he did not have a great influence on the game, touching the ball only three times, he did star in the last action of the match. In it, he drove the ball towards the rival area from a central position, although he failed to connect a decisive pass to a teammate who was projecting down the wing. Even so, it was a play that aroused some illusion.

Three months later, Ansu plays again with the first team

The last official match of Ansu Fati with the first team of Barcelona had been on January 4, also with a 0-4 victory, but against UD Barbastro in the Copa del Rey. That time, the player from Bisáu added 28 minutes of action. In addition, to see the last time the forward saw minutes with Barça in the UEFA Champions League, we have to go back much further, specifically to October 23, 2024, when he played four minutes in the overwhelming 4-1 victory for the 'culés' against Bayern Munich on matchday three of the league phase.

His presence against Borussia Dortmund may mark a turning point for him, in his fight to get out of the football ostracism in which he found himself.

Will Flick count on Ansu Fati for the rest of the season?

Now the question is whether Hansi Flick, after this gesture of confidence, will continue to give him opportunities in the remainder of the 2024-25 season. For now, in the mixed zone, once the match was over and in front of the microphones of 'Movistar+', he acknowledged that: "it was good that Ansu could play. He deserved it". The FC Barcelona calendar is demanding, and the forward could be a valuable alternative to rotate and bring freshness to the Azulgrana offensive front.

In turn, it should be noted that recently it became known that Ansu Fati was emotionally affected by his lack of minutes. This information came to light after the match against Real Betis (1-1) last Saturday. Therefore, the fact of having been considered in the following match could be an important emotional boost in a delicate moment of his career, where he seeks to shine again.