Up next in 10
El Barça Atlètic lidera su grupo de Segunda Federación con 10 puntos de 12 y sin encajar un solo gol. Y hay un central de 19 años que ha jugado los 360 minutos: Hafiz Gariba.
Hace año y medio jugaba en juvenil preferente catalana. Hoy entrena con el primer equipo de Flick.
En este vídeo repasamos de dónde sale, por qué el Barça se fijó en él, qué tipo de central es (y cuáles son sus límites), cómo ha arrancado la temporada con Belletti y hasta dónde puede llegar de verdad. Sin vender humo.
#FCBarcelona #LaMasia #HafizGariba #BarçaAtlètic
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0:00
Barça Atlétic has had an incredible
0:01
start to the season. They have four
0:03
matchdays, four wins, 10 goals for, and
0:05
zero against. Zero goals conceded in
0:07
360 minutes of league play so far. And
0:09
there is a 19-year-old center-back who
0:11
has played every one of those 360
0:12
minutes. His name is Jafiz Gariba. He
0:14
is 19, from Ghana, and just over a year
0:16
ago, he wasn't even playing for Barça.
0:18
But the truth is, the start of this
0:20
season and the season he had last year
0:21
at Barça were incredible. That is why
0:23
today I am going to tell you where
0:25
Jafiz Gariba came from, why Barça
0:26
noticed him, what kind of center-back
0:28
he is, and how far he can go. So let's
0:29
get into the video, but first, don't
0:31
forget to leave a like and subscribe to
0:32
the channel, because it is greatly
0:33
appreciated. Jafiz Gariba was born on
0:36
January 9, 2007, in Teshie, a coastal
0:37
area near Accra in Ghana, where one of
0:39
the main passions was obviously
0:41
football. So far, so normal—the story
0:43
of many kids starting out in football.
0:45
What changed his life is that he ended
0:47
up at the Marcet Foundation here in
0:48
Barcelona, and many people don't know
0:50
what the Marcet Foundation is, so I'm
0:51
going to explain it to you. It is an
0:53
international academy based in
0:54
Barcelona, in Sant Cugat, through which
0:55
kids from all over the world pass,
0:57
coming to train here with the idea that
0:58
someone might spot them and they could
1:00
end up on a team. Basically, it is a
1:01
business where families pay and, in
1:03
exchange, the kid trains under European
1:05
conditions and plays against local
1:06
teams. And it is a system that, in
1:08
principle, can work well because they
1:09
sell you on the fact that they train
1:10
professionally. But the truth is that
1:13
few footballers come out of that
1:14
academy; although there are obviously
1:16
success stories, realistically speaking
1:17
, let's say that out of every 100 kids
1:19
who pass through an academy like that,
1:20
those who end up signing for a real
1:21
club can be counted on one hand. Well,
1:24
Jafiz Gariba is one of those you can
1:25
actually count on your fingers. And
1:27
there is a detail in his file that
1:29
seems to me the most revealing of his
1:31
entire journey: in the 23/24 season, at
1:32
just 16 years old, he was playing in
1:34
the Catalan Preferente division, which
1:36
is the third tier of youth football in
1:38
Catalonia. And in February 2025, a year
1:40
and a half ago, Barça signed him to a
1:41
3-year contract and put him in the
1:43
Juvenil B squad. As I said, Jafiz
1:45
Gariba arrived to play for Juvenil B.
1:47
In fact, he played in Juvenil B for a
1:48
while, but halfway through the season,
1:50
he was promoted to Juvenil A, and that
1:51
was due to the great performance he
1:53
showed playing for Juvenil B in his
1:54
first few months at Barça. And in
1:56
Juvenil A, obviously, he played in the
1:58
División de Honor league and the UEFA
1:59
Youth League. And now we reach this
2:02
season, where he is currently playing
2:03
for Barça Atlètic and is an
2:04
undisputed starter. And now let's talk
2:07
about why Barça set their sights on
2:08
him. And here we have to separate two
2:11
things: why they signed him in 2025 and
2:12
why they have him on the first team's
2:14
radar now. Because, obviously, it's not
2:16
the same; it's something quite
2:17
different. Let's start with why they
2:19
signed him. Barça doesn't sign an 18-
2:21
year-old center-back from the Catalan
2:22
Preferente league for his résumé, and
2:24
not because the Preferente is a bad
2:25
division, but because they would surely
2:27
look first at a player from his same
2:28
division, that is, División de Honor,
2:30
or from the lower league, which is Liga
2:32
Nacional. They signed him because a
2:33
scout saw him and said, "This kid is
2:35
out of place here." And what they saw
2:36
was both physicality and technique at
2:38
the same time. He is almost 1.90 m tall
2:39
, and with that wingspan and that age,
2:41
the normal thing is that you are a
2:42
physical beast, where you surely have
2:44
the ease to win aerial duels or win
2:46
physical battles. And another thing,
2:47
obviously, is the good ball-playing
2:48
ability that Jafiz Gariba has. And that
2:50
is what Barça ends up buying: the
2:52
combination of both, because in the end
2:53
, a center-back who is tall is quite
2:55
easy to find, but one who is tall and
2:57
also knows how to play well is much
2:58
more complicated to find. And there is
3:00
a nuance here that carries more weight
3:02
than at other clubs, and that is that
3:03
at Barça, you don't ask a center-back
3:05
to clear the ball; you ask him,
3:06
obviously, to receive with his back to
3:07
goal with a forward on top of him, to
3:08
turn, break the first line of pressure,
3:10
and, in the end, if you don't know how
3:11
to do that, well, you probably won't
3:12
play at this club, even if you are 2
3:14
meters tall. But Jafiz Gariba does know
3:16
how to do it. And now let's see why
3:18
Barça has him on the radar for the
3:19
first team. And the fact is, as I
3:21
mentioned before, the center-back
3:23
position at Barça is very poorly
3:24
covered, mostly due to squad depth.
3:26
Ultimately, you have Cubarsí who is
3:28
untouchable, and normally the left
3:29
center-back spot was being rotated
3:31
between Christensen and Gerard Martín.
3:33
The problem is that now you have
3:34
Christensen injured, and you’re no
3:35
longer playing Eric García at
3:36
center-back because you’re using him
3:37
as a full-back to cover for Koundé.
3:39
Although it’s also true that Koundé
3:41
could return to center-back and Eric to
3:43
full-back if Flick wants that, it’s
3:44
still not enough because you never know
3:46
when another unforeseen injury might
3:48
happen. So, I definitely think Hansi
3:50
Flick will take him into account, not
3:51
just because he likes the player, but
3:53
because it’s a position where
3:54
there’s a lack of squad depth. And
3:55
now let’s talk about what kind of
3:57
center-back he is, although you can
3:59
probably already get an idea after what
4:00
I just explained, but let's break it
4:02
down into parts. For the first part,
4:04
his physique is the foundation.
4:05
Ultimately, as I said, he is a very
4:07
tall player, almost 1.90 m, and he also
4:09
has a very long stride. And in the
4:10
Segunda Federación, which is a league
4:12
with long balls, second plays, and
4:13
crosses, that’s a huge advantage
4:15
because, as I said, he wins in the box,
4:16
wins in the air, and above all wins the
4:18
duels with his back to goal, which is
4:20
what breaks many teams down. In fact,
4:22
Jafet Gariba would adapt well to
4:23
Barça’s style of a high pressing
4:25
line. Let’s move on to the second
4:26
part, which is playing the ball out
4:27
cleanly. And it must be said that
4:29
it’s a clean ball exit, but not a
4:30
spectacular one. And I want to make
4:31
that distinction because it’s
4:33
sometimes confused. There are
4:34
center-backs who bring the ball out by
4:35
breaking lines, threading the interior
4:37
pass that puts you between those lines,
4:39
and that type of center-back is for...
4:40
yes. Jafet Gariba isn't exactly that.
4:43
Jafet Gariba plays the ball out cleanly
4:45
, receives it, turns, and makes the
4:46
right pass. It’s rare for him to lose
4:48
the ball, but he isn’t the same type
4:50
of center-back as Cubarsí, who
4:52
constantly breaks a pressing line, yet
4:54
he still has a very good ball exit and
4:56
good footwork. And third, let’s talk
4:57
about him being an organized player.
4:59
And at his age, that’s a bit rare. As
5:01
I said, four games, 360 minutes, and
5:03
zero cards. And for me, this is an
5:05
interesting stat from his start, even
5:07
more so than a clean sheet, because
5:08
ultimately, that depends on many more
5:10
factors, not just you. But for a 19-
5:12
year-old center-back with that physique
5:13
in a tough category like the Segunda
5:15
Federación, it’s normal to pick up
5:17
some cards for arriving late, using
5:19
your hands, or getting heated for
5:20
various reasons. But that rarely
5:22
happens to him. He’s usually
5:24
well-positioned, arrives on time, and
5:25
doesn't need to grab or take
5:26
unnecessary risks. And that is also
5:28
part of the great game intelligence
5:29
that Jafit Gariba possesses. And I
5:31
assume you already know that what
5:33
separates a good player from a mediocre
5:35
one is their reading of the game. So,
5:37
having looked at the good points of
5:39
Hafiz Gariba, let's talk a bit about
5:40
what he might not have as developed. He
5:43
isn't the fastest center-back. I
5:45
don’t mean to say he’s a slow
5:46
defender by any means, but we aren't
5:48
talking about a center-back like
5:49
Banhuzin, who is lightning-fast and can
5:51
recover any ball behind the defense.
5:53
Jafiz Gariba can recover, but not all
5:55
of them. He is a center-back that, for
5:57
now, we haven't seen contribute much in
5:58
the opposing box, but that’s not
6:00
something to worry about because,
6:01
ultimately, he’s 19. He’s still at
6:04
an age where he could grow a few more
6:05
centimeters, and while it’s true that
6:07
set pieces are becoming more important
6:08
in football, I think that’s an area
6:10
where Barça is well-covered today. And
6:13
obviously, aside from this, there is
6:14
one thing we don't know, which for me
6:16
is the most important, and that is how
6:18
he responds to the elite pace, the
6:19
rhythm of the highest competitive level
6:20
. And it's clearly not the same to play
6:23
in the Segunda Federación or against
6:25
youth teams as it is to play in the
6:26
First Division. The pace is very, very
6:28
different, although it’s true that
6:30
players from Barça’s reserve team
6:31
usually come up very well-prepared. You
6:33
only have to look at the examples of
6:35
Lamine, Cubarsí, Marc Bernal, Xavi
6:37
Aspar, and plenty more examples. But
6:39
obviously, without having seen him play
6:41
at an elite level, you can't know if he
6:42
is a player cut out for the elite or
6:44
just for those slightly lower divisions
6:45
, but that will be seen in the future.
6:48
And now let’s see how the season has
6:49
started. I’ve already given a brief
6:51
introduction saying they’ve played
6:52
four matches with zero goals conceded,
6:54
but let’s elaborate on it a bit more.
6:56
Well, as I mentioned, the numbers are
6:58
very good. Juliano Belletti’s Barça
6:59
Atlètic in Group 2 of the Segunda
7:01
Federación has played four matchdays,
7:02
with three wins and one draw. 10 points
7:04
, 10 goals for, zero against. They were
7:07
leading by one point over Espanyol B
7:09
and Osasuna B. They started the season
7:11
with a 5-0 win against Naxara, drew 0-0
7:13
with Logroño, won 0-1 at Barbastro,
7:15
and beat Peña Sport 4-0 at the Johan
7:17
Cruyff. As I mentioned, Jafiz Gariba
7:19
has played four matches, all as a
7:21
starter, 360 minutes, and in all of
7:23
them he has conceded zero goals, but
7:25
has also received zero cards.
7:27
Furthermore, it must be said that it is
7:29
not an easy task, given everything
7:30
mentioned previously. At the end of the
7:32
day, he is a 19-year-old center-back,
7:33
recently promoted from the youth squad,
7:35
who came from playing in the Preferente
7:37
league and is currently filling the
7:38
spot left by Álvaro Cortés, who left
7:40
for Royal Antwerp. Álvaro was a
7:42
center-back who had spent his whole
7:43
life at La Masia and was a reliable
7:44
defender, but the truth is that, so far
7:46
, the level Jafit Gariba has shown at
7:47
the start of this season is brutal. Now
7:50
, obviously, these are only four
7:52
matches, as I said, and keeping a clean
7:54
sheet for four matchdays is a good sign
7:56
, but there are still 30 games left, so
7:57
we clearly need to be calm about what
7:59
is said, not just about Hafit Gariba,
8:01
but about the team in general. Having
8:03
reviewed all of this, let's talk a
8:05
little bit about the future and let's
8:06
be realistic, which is what we always
8:08
try to do on this channel. This season,
8:10
evidently, Jafiz Gariba will play for
8:12
Barça Atlètic in the Segunda
8:13
Federación, a competition that will
8:15
help him adapt; and also, Barça
8:17
Atlètic has changed its dynamic a bit
8:19
this year, as Deco is overseeing it and
8:20
the team follows the full first-team
8:22
dynamic throughout the week. And it's
8:24
mostly so that, if at any point a
8:26
player from Barça Atlètic needs to
8:27
move up to the first team to help, they
8:29
already have that competitive rhythm
8:31
and that first-team style of play,
8:32
making everything much more fluid. And
8:35
we could even see him get some minutes
8:36
at some point, whether in the Copa del
8:38
Rey, or if we are unlucky and one of
8:40
our first-team center-backs gets
8:42
injured, he could even be called up and
8:44
get a few minutes. Now, looking ahead
8:46
to next season, a lot will be decided
8:48
here because his contract ends in June
8:50
2027, which means that this season and
8:52
the next, the club has to decide what
8:54
to do with him: whether to renew and
8:56
promote, renew and loan, or let him go.
8:58
And I think everything will depend a
9:00
bit on the level Jafit Gariba shows,
9:02
the opportunities he gets with the
9:03
first team, and how the player evolves,
9:05
but for me, if he completes the season
9:06
with the reserves at this level, I
9:08
would definitely renew his contract.
9:10
And then, once the season is over,
9:11
seeing if Barça Atlètic has been
9:13
promoted to the Primera Federación or
9:14
not, and also depending on the
9:15
center-backs in the first team, I would
9:17
look for a loan move. That is, in the
9:18
event that Barça Atlètic does not
9:20
promote to the Primera Federación. In
9:21
the event that Barça Atlètic does
9:23
promote to the Primera Federación, for
9:24
me, the situation changes a bit. The
9:26
thing is, in the Primera Federación,
9:28
the competitive level is a bit higher,
9:29
getting closer to the Spanish second
9:31
division, so in that case, I wouldn't
9:32
look for a loan, but rather have him
9:34
continue developing at Barça Atlètic.
9:36
But it is true that if Barça Atlètic
9:38
stays in the Segunda Federación, I
9:39
would seek a loan, whether to a Primera
9:41
Federación or a Segunda División team
9:43
, because, in the end, if he isn't
9:44
going to get opportunities with the
9:46
first team and stays in the Segunda
9:47
Federación, he might end up stagnating
9:49
or wasting his potential. And now I'm
9:51
going to give you three things that I
9:53
believe he needs to demonstrate. First,
9:54
that he can handle the pace. Moving
9:56
from the Segunda Federación to playing
9:58
in elite football is a fairly big step.
10:00
Second, that he demonstrates he can
10:02
defend that space behind him with the
10:04
Barça first team. As I said, he is a
10:06
player who covers spaces well, is
10:08
well-positioned, and I think he can
10:09
correct with meters behind him, but
10:11
obviously, as we say, it’s not the
10:12
same in the Segunda Federación as it
10:14
is in the Primera División. And third,
10:17
that he holds up; in the end, he is a
10:19
19-year-old center-back playing every
10:20
minute, and he is also obviously
10:22
training with the first team,
10:23
accumulating a heavy load, and we have
10:24
to see how his body responds to that as
10:26
well. So my conclusion on Jafiz Cariba
10:29
is that he is a center-back with very
10:31
good qualities; that we obviously have
10:33
to see how the player evolves; that we
10:34
are only judging him on four matches
10:36
this season, but we are coming off a
10:37
quite good previous season, and a
10:39
call-up from Hansi Flick for the
10:40
first-team preseason, although he
10:41
couldn't be there. So we will have to
10:44
pay very close attention to Jafiz
10:45
Gariba's season at Barça Atlètic.
10:47
We'll also have to see if Hansi Flick
10:49
calls him up for any match at some
10:50
point, especially knowing that Barça
10:52
has few players in that position right
10:54
now, center-back, and one of them,
10:55
Christensen, is injured. And now I ask
10:58
you: how do you see Jafiz Gariba in the
11:00
future? I'll be reading your comments,
11:01
and don't forget to subscribe and leave
11:03
a like, which is really appreciated and
11:04
. See you in the next video. Yeah.
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