Barcelona Youngster Shines vs Rayo

Against Rayo Vallecano in the La Liga game on Monday night, Hector Fort stood out as the surprise in Barcelona’s starting eleven.

The 18-year-old right-back’s opportunity presented itself when Barca manager Hansi Flick benched Jules Kounde following the Frenchman’s late arrival to a squad meeting without second thought. Hector Fort most definitely made the most of his rare chance against Rayo Vallecano Wednesday night at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

After making past outings against Deportivo Alaves and Espanyol, this game represented Fort’s third La Liga start. Though the winger failed to turn his deft backheel ball to Lamine Yamal into a goal, Fort’s most striking action was that one.

With one opportunity produced, 25 successful passes out of 29 attempted, two recoveries, two interceptions, and 47 touches in 66 minutes, the Spanish right-back finished the game. Kounde was then replaced. For Fort, this has been a challenging season thus far; Kounde’s outstanding efforts have made minutes rare.

The young player has so far appeared 13 times for Barcelona’s first squad, and each time he has shown himself prepared for the challenge. Fort will now be hopeful that his chance against Rayo Vallecano turns into additional minutes on the field in the next weeks.

The La Masia graduate handled defensive responsibilities well and also made a good attack contribution on the right side of the backline.