Germany's Mikael Baza, one of Barcelona's bets for the future, played his first minutes in the blue and red shirt after featuring for the Juvenil B side in a friendly against the Athletic Sant Just first team.
It was a stern test. Baza, 16 and a Germany youth international, came up against seasoned opponents, some of them more than twice the age of the La Masia players.
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Barcelona lost the match 2-1 yesterday, Friday, but the German defender made a positive impression on his debut, according to the Catalan newspaper "Sport".
Baza showed his ability to intercept the ball and his speed in covering, along with good physical readiness and a clear presence in building play from the back. All this just days after joining and settling in with his new teammates.
Barcelona's new strategy
The signing of Baza, who is playing his first season with Barca, fits the club's strategy of investing in young talent.
Standing over 1.90 metres tall, left-footed and physically strong, the defender ticks the boxes for the club's scouting department. In recent months they have restructured their recruitment system, aiming to unearth talent early before Europe's major clubs get there first.
Barcelona will watch Baza's development closely over the coming period. He could yet earn promotion to Pol Planas's Juvenil A side during the current season, having already settled in at La Masia and begun the gradual process of integrating within the club's environment.
The young defender still has considerable room to grow. He is also related to defender Jonathan Tah, his cousin, who was on Barcelona's radar before his move to Bayern Munich.
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