Is Marc Bernal the next La Masia player ready to break into Barça's first team?

"I see the youngsters' faces and they are hungry. I don't see any fear. The new generations are more daring."

Xavi has been clear: the promising kids coming through from the reserve team, even from the U19 team, are ready to make an impact on Barcelona's first team.

The coach has seen it in cases like Lamine Yamal, Marc Guiu and Pau Cubarsí. They are still teenagers -- they were born between 2006 and 2007 -- but they have a boldness that makes a difference.

In recent times, the promotion to the first team has been shortening. It is a chain effect: many La Masia players compete in categories well above their age and there are already several cases that go directly from the U19s to the first team. This is not the case of Marc Bernal (Berga, 16 years old), who is growing exponentially under Rafa Márquez in the B team, ready to step up to the first team?  

His is also another example of burning through stages at cruising speed. Last matchday, he scored a brace against Sestao and became the youngest scorer in the history of the competition (Spanish third tier). At just 16, he has surpassed all expectations this season. It is difficult to make predictions about his potential, after the display he has shown in the last few games.

Succeeding expectations

Bernal didn't look set to play such an important role for Barça Atlètic this season with the likes of Casado, Aleix Garrido and Noah Darvich in the squad. But he has earned this role through solid performances. But what kind of player is he? To begin with, he is a player who can leave the wrong first impression. 

The way he moves, he may look like a player who lacks finesse, as if he is still adjusting to an adult body. But the reality is that he is a midfielder with a very quick head, who knows how to interpret the game, and a physique -- he is close to 1.90m -- that makes a difference.

This is what coach Márquez says: "It's one of his advantages, the physique he has, his height. He has a lot of quality to be able to play in the middle, play as an inside player on either side, this makes him more versatile. He is very young and also has to develop to be able to aspire to reach the top."

Bernal is aware that he is in a process.

"I've only recently arrived in the reserve team, I'm the youngest player and it's harder to score goals in this category," he said after the win against Sestao.

The coach is using him as a pivot, when he can't count on Casadó, but also as a more advanced midfielder. It is that position that brings him closer to the penalty area and, therefore, to the goal. Because one of his best qualities, as he has been demonstrating in the youth teams, is a spectacular shot.

The coaches who have been polishing him since he arrived at Barça to join the prebenjamín from Gimnàstic Manresa know this. Bernal proved it again against Sestao last time out with a goal in the top corner with his first touch. His growth has been so dazzling that nobody dares to put a ceiling on him at the club.