In the midst of a difficult night for FC Barcelona, the return of Ansu Fati is one of the best pieces of news for the Blaugranas. The striker was included in the squad for the Barça debut in the Champions League after training under Hansi Flick for more than a week, and in the 88th minute of the match against Monaco he jumped onto the pitch at the Luis II Stadium to complete his long-awaited return.
Fati returned to wear the Blaugrana shield for the first time since August 27, 2023, when he played 14 minutes in Barça's victory against Villarreal (3-4), a match in which he came on as a substitute for Lamine Yamal. Days later he went on loan to Brighton, where he played a total of 27 (9 of them as a starter), scoring four goals and providing one assist before returning to Barcelona.
Ansu returned more than a year later
Thus, Ansu saw minutes as a Barça player 389 minutes later, coming on to the field to replace Alejandro Balde in the 87th minute. Wearing the number '10' and after receiving a hug and affection from Flick, the youth player was positioned on the left side of the attack, with a certain tendency towards the centre, completing the offensive trident together with Raphinha, who was positioned on the right, and Ferran Torres, who acted as centre forward.
However, it could not be the dream return for Fati, who was barely able to influence the attack and saw the Catalans suffer their first defeat of the season at the hands of the Monegasques (2-1). Despite this, the great news for the striker is that this is the beginning of a series of opportunities that he will surely have in the next matches, in which Hansi Flick is expected to come off the bench to refresh his legs in Barça's busy schedule. The next target: Villarreal.