When Barca youngster Gavi burst onto the San Siro stage

When Gavi made his international debut for Spain in October 2021, most onlookers would have asked who this fresh-faced teenager was.

At the end of the game, they were still asking that question, but knowing whoever he was, he was surprisingly good at football for someone born a month after Greece beat Portugal in the final of the Euro 2004.

Pablo Martin Paez Gavira made his La Roja debut against Italy in the Nations League at the San Siro aged just 17 years and 62 days, becoming the youngest Spanish player ever, taking the record Angel Zubieta, who made his debut in 1936.< /p>

Head coach Luis Enrique brought in the Barcelona midfield early on against Jorginho, Marco Verratti and Nicolo Barella, and not only did he hold his own, he was arguably the best player on the pitch as Spain won 2-1 to end the Azzurri's 37-game unbeaten streak.

Almost a year after that night in Milan, Gavi will return to the San Siro with Barca to face Inter in the Champions League after establishing himself as a vital cog in the wheel for club and country, despite not only turned 18 in August.< /p>

He recently signed a new contract at Camp Nou with a billion-euro release clause, and Stats Perform looked at what makes Gavi not just the future of Barcelona and Spain, but also the present.

School in Cule

Remarkably, Gavi had made just four starts for Barca before getting the nod for his country in that crucial Nations League game, showing the early impact.

His debut for the Blaugrana came just over three weeks after his 17th birthday in the 2-1 home win over Getafe, before making his first start in a 0-0 draw at Cádiz .

Barca may have been struggling at the time under Ronald Koeman, but the development of Gavi and Pedri as their potential midfield futures reminded fans of the heyday of Xavi and Andres Iniesta who dictated the game for them.

So it was fitting that Xavi would return as head coach, and not only did it improve the fortunes of the team, but it further cemented Gavi's place and ensured that he would be guided by the one of the best of all time in his position.

Understandably, given his inexplicable young age, the not quite a man from Los Palacios y Villafranca went on to set records, or at least came close to breaking them.

His appearance for Cádiz at 17 years and 49 days makes him the second-youngest player to debut for the club in the 21st century in La Liga, just behind team-mate Ansu Fati (16 years and 318 days).

At 17 years and 80 days, Gavi became the youngest player to start his first Clasico in the 21st century, breaking the previous record held by Pedri set a year earlier.

He then set another record for his country, but just 17 years and 304 days old, he scored against the Czech Republic to become the youngest player to score for Spain in a match of competition, beating the mark Fati had previously set by just a week.

Overall, in his debut campaign, Gavi made 47 appearances for Barca (36 starts), helping them finish second in La Liga.

This season he has featured in all seven of their league games, as well as both Champions League clashes against Viktoria Plzen and Bayern Munich.

However, his most impressive achievement to date was arguably that performance against an elite Italian midfielder who had just won the Euros.

Another Barella Challenge

He will come face to face with one of those midfielders on Tuesday, as Barella and Inter host Barca in Milan.

Barella has developed into one of Europe's best midfielders in recent years, playing a key role in the Nerazzurri winning Serie A in 2021.

Comparisons have been made between the Italian and Gavi, which may not make Barella feel so good considering it makes him the debate veteran at the age of 25.

Their well-rounded performances in the middle of the park at club and international level are well known, but how do they compare?

Looking at their clubs' stats last season, Barella made 48 appearances in all competitions for Inter while Gavi made 47 for Barca, although the former made 47 starts compared to 36 for Inter. teenager.

Barella had 16 goals (four goals, 12 assists), while Gavi had seven (two goals, five assists), and the Italian was more of a threat in attack overall, creating 81 chances in open play versus 25 in open play. the Spanish.

He was also more involved on the ball, averaging 55.84 passes per 90 minutes compared to 45.15, although Gavi had a higher success rate, with 89.23% of his passes finding a goal. teammate against 85.44% of Barella.< /p>

The Inter man had a better tackle success rate of 59.77% to 49.77% but the Barca youngster claimed more interceptions (32-29) despite the fact that he played less...