Fermin Lopez is using the Paris Olympics to press his case for a starting role at Barcelona
Fermín López has received widespread plaudits for his superb performances with Spain at the 2024 Olympics. Although that should come as little surprise.
By Luke Bissett
The attacking midfielder’s breakthrough into the Barcelona first team has been far from conventional. A product of the club’s famed academy, La Masia, Fermín was unable to secure a place in Barcelona’s B team and sent on loan to Linares in the third tier of Spanish football for the 2022-23 season.
It was during this loan spell that Fermín excelled, amassing 40 appearances across all competitions for Linares. The 21-year-old became one of the best players in the Primera Federacion and finished as the side’s top scorer with an impressive 12 league goals.
Upon his return to Barca last summer, Fermín was asked to join first team training as Xavi was still without several key players at the start of pre-season. And after just one week of training alongside the first team, the Barca coach handed the midfielder a shock inclusion in the squad for their tour to the United States.
The midfielder went on to make a huge impression, introducing himself with a terrific strike during a 3-0 friendly win over Real Madrid. As a result, Fermín’s superb performances during the tour earned him a place in the first team squad for 2023-24 and a contract extension until 2027. Barca, and Fermín, haven’t looked back since.
The Spaniard was a revelation for Xavi’s side last season, enjoying a mightily impressive breakout campaign. Indeed, the academy graduate offered the Catalonian’s a completely different dimension, proving to be an extremely valuable profile to have within the squad.
The midfielder is a constant goal threat, something of which Barca have severely lacked from deeper areas in recent years. In fact, only talisman Robert Lewandowski (26) netted more goals across all competitions for the side than him last term (11). This was despite Fermín making just 19 starts for the Blaugrana over the course of the campaign.
The 21-year-old was used in both an advanced midfield role and on the left of the front-three under Xavi last season – providing a real attacking edge to the side with his relentless forward running. Fermín is an extremely direct operator and is constantly looking to progress the ball into the final third. The attacking midfielder was undoubtedly one of Barca’s standout performers across 2023-24 and was deservedly rewarded with an inclusion in Spain’s squads for EURO 2024 and this summer’s Paris Olympics.
Despite being limited to just a 28-minute cameo during La Roja’s European Championships success, Fermín has been entrusted with a vital role during the Olympics. The Spaniard has scored four goals, with only Morocco’s Soufiane Rahimi netting more (eight). And the importance of those strikes can not be understated.
The midfielder netted a brace in their 3-0 quarter-final victory over Japan, before spearheading his side to a 2-1 comeback win over Morocco in the semi-finals with a goal and assist. In fact, Fermín has averaged the fourth highest FotMob rating in the competition (7.89).
The 21-year-old is uber-effective in the final third, be it through fashioning opportunities for himself or acting as creator. He has developed a real knack for crashing into the box via perfectly timed runs to pounce on second balls. Indeed, his instinctive nature offers his side a real attacking presence and accumulated the eighth highest non-penalty xG per 90 in LaLiga last season (0.47). Fermin’s ball-striking is also something to be marvelled at, which has been evidenced in the goal reel that he has already assembled during his short career. This is aided by the fact that he does not shy away from getting shots off – he averaged the third most shots on target per 90 in LaLiga last season (1.5).
Fermín especially excels in tight spaces, while his ability to receive the ball under pressure provides an impressive outlet. When deployed as a No.10 or out wide, the 21-year-old always seeks to drift into the half-spaces and pockets between the lines to avoid being marked. This poses a nuisance to the opposition as they are unsure whether to track his runs or remain in their structure and leave him unmarked.
The Spaniard is particularly proficient on the ball, utilising his close control to ride challenges and surge forward. In fact, Fermín thrives in one-on-one duels, boasting the third highest dribble success rate among Barcelona players to have attempted 50+ dribbles last season (56.4%). The 21-year-old’s proactiveness is a real feature of his game, as he is fearless when driving forward to wreak havoc upon opposition back-lines.
New Barca manager Hansi Flick will also be relishing the opportunity to work with the 21-year old. Fermín provided the Blaugrana with some much-needed energy out of possession last season, while he displayed a real desire out of possession to regain the ball. And it’s a skillset that will be greatly suited to Flick’s high-pressing philosophy.
This begs the question as to why Barcelona are set to sign RB Leipzig midfielder Dani Olmo for a reported £60million, when they already boast an abundance of attacking midfielders within their ranks. One potential solution could be that Olmo is deployed on the left-wing, with Fermín then operating in the No.10 role that he has thrived in during the Olympics.
Yet before sights turn firmly to Barca’s campaign, Fermín is set to star in the Olympics Gold Medal match against France on Friday evening. And Spain will be looking to go one better than the Silver Medal they earned at Tokyo 2020, while the last time that they won the competition was in Barcelona 1992.
From Barcelona B outcast to potential Olympic Gold medallist in little over two years, who would dare put a cap on what heights Fermín López could reach.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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