Gavihas only been playing in Barcelona‘s first teamfor a year, yet he has already been dubbed the best young player in the world,after winningthis year’s Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy award. He has had a major impact in more than 60 appearances at the senior level for Barcelona, and he is swiftly becoming one of the most recognized names in European soccer.
The center midfielder was signed by Barcelona in 2015 and developed at the club’s famed La Masia program. After earning his first professional deal in 2020, Gavi skipped the under-16 level and went straight to the under-19 team. Ronald Koeman was so impressed with his performance that he started him for the main team in their August 2021 match against Getafe.
He is an intriguingyoungster who made history by being the youngest player to ever make his senior squad debut for the Spanish national team. Thanks to his resilience and versatility, he contributes equally well in the attacking and defensive halves. The midfielder has been a force in La Liga for the Blaugrana since he broke into the starting lineup under Xavi Hernandez.
Why is Pablo Martin Paez Gavira called Gavi?
Most people just call the Barcelona midfielder “Gavi,” although his birthname is Pablo Martin Paez Gavira. The 18-year-old recently gave an interview to France Football in which he explained the origin of his moniker.
“People think it’s because of my full name: Pablo Martin Paez Gaviria. But that’s not true, with my first team, we were two players with the name Pablo, and in order to avoid the similarity, the coach called me Gavi.”
In the past, Pedrihad also shared a tale along these lines. His given name is Pedro, but he went by Pedri since there were already a few youngsters on his block with the same name.
While playing for the Spanish national team, Gavi scored a goal in the2-2 tie with the Czech Republic, becoming the youngest player in Spain’s history to do so. The teenager scored for Spain at the age of 17 years and 304 days, beating the previous record established in 2020 by histeammate Ansu Fati.
Although he will be one of the youngest players at the World Cup, Gavi will be an invaluable addition to Luis Enrique‘s side.Using thisWorld Cup Predictor, you can see every potential outcome of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.