Gavi (footballer)

Pablo Martín Páez Gavira (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpaβlo maɾˈtim ˈpaeθ ɣaˈβiɾa];[3] born 5 August 2004), known as Gavi (pronounced [ˈɡaβi]), is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team.[4][5] In 2022, he won the Golden Boy award and received the Kopa Trophy, awarded by France Football during the 2022 Ballon d'Or ceremony.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Páez and the second or maternal family name is Gavira.

Gavi
Gavi training with Barcelona in 2022
Personal information
Full name Pablo Martín Páez Gavira[1]
Date of birth (2004-08-05) 5 August 2004[1]
Place of birth Los Palacios y Villafranca, Spain
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[2]
Position(s) Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Barcelona
Number 6
Youth career
2010–2013 La Liara
2013–2015 Betis
2015–2021 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021 Barcelona B 3 (0)
2021– Barcelona 80 (5)
International career‡
2018–2020 Spain U15 4 (1)
2019–2020 Spain U16 7 (0)
2020–2021 Spain U18 3 (0)
2021– Spain 25 (5)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Spain
UEFA Nations League
Winner2023 Netherlands
Runner-up2021 Italy
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 October 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 October 2023

Early life

Gavi was born in Los Palacios y Villafranca, Sevilla, Andalusia.[1][6]

Club career

Early career

Gavi started his career at La Liara Balompié, a club in his hometown, where he spent two years, between 2010 and 2012.[7] From there he moved on to Real Betis's youth academy, where he spent two seasons.[8][9] He scored 95 goals for the youth team of Real Betis.[10]

Youth career

In 2015, at the age of 11, he signed for Barcelona.[11][12]

In September 2020, he signed his first professional contract with the Catalan club, and was promoted directly from the under-16 team to the under-19 team.[13][14] He made his debut for Barcelona B on 21 February 2021, in the 6–0 home routing of L'Hospitalet, coming on as a substitute for Nico González in the 77th minute.[15] He made his first start for Barça B the following 14 March in a 1–0 derby win against Espanyol B at the Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque.[16]

2021–22 season

Having featured twice for Barcelona B in the 2020–21 season, Gavi was promoted to the senior squad for pre-season friendlies with the first team ahead of the start of the new season.[17][18] After good performances in wins against Gimnàstic de Tarragona and Girona, Gavi was reported to have pushed ahead of Riqui Puig in manager Ronald Koeman's squad selection.[19][20] He continued this good run of form in a 3–0 win against German opposition VfB Stuttgart, earning comparisons with Barcelona legend Xavi.[21][22]

On 29 August 2021, he played his first official match for Barcelona's first team in the 2–1 La Liga win over Getafe, replacing Sergi Roberto in the 73rd minute. On 18 December, he scored his first goal for the club and provided an assist in the 3–2 home win over Elche.[23]

2022–23 season

On 15 January 2023, Gavi scored a goal and provided two assists to be named man of the match in a 3–1 victory over Real Madrid in the Supercopa de España Final.[24] On 31 January, a Spanish court ruled in favor of accepting Gavi's new contract with Barcelona until 2026, signed in September the previous year, despite opposition from La Liga president Javier Tebas who argued that the new deal would not fit in the club's salary limit that season.[25] On the same day, Barcelona announced that Gavi would acquire the number 6 shirt, previously worn by his coach Xavi.[26] On 21 March, a court ruling ordered that the new deal to be revoked as it would exceed the club's salary limit, and a return to his previous enrolment as a youth-team player with his old number 30 shirt.[27][28][29]

On 20 June 2023, Barcelona managed to complete Gavi's registration to La Liga as a first-team player, subsequently extended his contract with Barcelona until June 2026, which contains a release clause of €1bn.[30]

International career

Gavi has represented Spain at under-15 and under-16 level.[1][10]

On 30 September 2021, Gavi received a surprise call-up to the senior Spain national team by the manager Luis Enrique. He made his debut in their UEFA Nations League semi-final win against Italy on 6 October, becoming the youngest player to ever represent Spain at senior level.[31][32] In the final against France on 10 October, Spain ultimately suffered a 2–1 defeat.[33] On 5 June 2022, he scored his first senior goal in the Nations League away against the Czech Republic, becoming the youngest player to ever score representing Spain at senior level.[34]

Gavi was named in Spain's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, in which he started in all four matches.[35] With his goal against Costa Rica in Spain's first game of the tournament, Gavi became the third youngest player (only behind Pelé and Manuel Rosas) to score in a World Cup match.[36]

Style of play

Graham Hunter of ESPN hailed Gavi as a highly promising young player in 2021, comparing him to former Barcelona midfielders Xavi and Andrés Iniesta due to his qualities as a footballer, including his dribbling, anticipation, intelligence, vision, passing, first touch, close control, change of pace, and ability to turn quickly to get out of tight spaces and initiate counter-attacks.[37] Following his performance in Spain's semi-final victory over Italy in the 2021 Nations League Finals, Italian defender Emerson Palmieri described Gavi as a player who "has huge potential".[32]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 22 October 2023[38]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Copa del Rey Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Barcelona B 2020–21 Segunda División B 20———20
2021–22 Primera División RFEF 10———10
Total 30———30
Barcelona 2021–22 La Liga 3421011[lower-alpha 1]01[lower-alpha 2]0472
2022–23 La Liga 362506[lower-alpha 3]02[lower-alpha 4]1493
2023–24 La Liga 101002[lower-alpha 5]10[lower-alpha 6]0122
Total 80560191311087
Career total 83560191311117
  1. Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, five appearances in UEFA Europa League
  2. Appearance in Supercopa de España
  3. Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Europa League
  4. Appearance in Supercopa de España
  5. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  6. Appearance in Supercopa de España

International
As of match played 15 October 2023[39]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Spain 202140
2022133
202382
Total255
As of match played 15 October 2023
Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Gavi goal[39]
List of international goals scored by Gavi
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
15 June 2022Sinobo Stadium, Prague, Czech Republic8 Czech Republic1–12–22022–23 UEFA Nations League A[40]
217 November 2022Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan13 Jordan2–03–1Friendly[41]
323 November 2022Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar14 Costa Rica5–07–02022 FIFA World Cup[42]
412 September 2023Nuevo Los Cármenes, Granada, Spain23 Cyprus1–06–0UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying[43]
515 October 2023Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway25 Norway1–01–0UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying[44]

Honours

Barcelona

Spain

Individual

References
  1. Gavi at WorldFootball.net
  2. "Gavi | 2022/2023 player page | Midfielder". FC Barcelona Official website. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  3. In isolation, Martín and Gavira are pronounced [maɾˈtin] and [ɡaˈβiɾa] respectively.
  4. "Camavinga and Gavi fight it out for the Golden Boy Award". Marca. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  5. Williams, George (4 April 2022). "Gavi collects the 'Next Generation' award as the third best young player in the world". Sports Finding. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  6. Navarro, Cristina (6 September 2021). ""El equipo de Gavi"" ["Gavi's Team"]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  7. Hart, Simon (8 December 2021). "Gavi: The FC Barcelona youngster with undone laces who was 'born' for the big stage". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  8. Cala, Rafael (8 October 2021). "La Liara reivindica a Gavi: "Era Oliver Atom"" [La Liara vindicates Gavi: "He was Oliver Atom"]. estadiodeportivo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  9. "A special fixture for Gavi". FC Barcelona. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  10. Navarro, Alicia (4 December 2018). "Gavi, el maestro de La Masía" [Gavi, the maestro of La Masía]. vavel.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  11. Sanderson, Tom (30 July 2021). "FC Barcelona Preseason Has Seen Coach Ronald Koeman Find New 'Golden Boys'". forbes.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  12. Kulig, Jacek (19 May 2020). "Scouting report on Pablo Paez 'Gavi' - the little maestro from La Masia". tribuna.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  13. "Young star Gavi signs new contract with Barcelona". sport.es. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  14. Soldevila, Adrià (3 June 2021). "Gavi: La Masia wonderkid set to be the future of Barcelona's midfield". goal.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  15. "Gavi becomes 14th Under-19s player to debut for Barça B under Garcia Pimienta". FC Barcelona. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  16. Rogé, Albert (14 March 2021). "La fiesta 'juvenil' del Barça B hunde al RCD Espanyol B". sport.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  17. Sharma, Rik (2 August 2021). "Gavi, Demir & the Barcelona wonderkids impressing Koeman in pre-season". goal.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  18. Bona, German (17 July 2021). "Gavi, puro arte y mucho duende". sport.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  19. Martínez, Ferran (22 July 2021). "Gavi se creció entre los mayores en su debut". mundodeportivo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  20. Clark, Gill (27 July 2021). "Koeman Prefers Barcelona Teen To Riqui Puig: Report". heavy.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  21. König, Kosta (2 August 2021). "16-year-old Barca kid Gavi stuns fans with fantastic performance, gets compared to Xavi". tribuna.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  22. Law, Joshua (2 August 2021). "Gavi & a delicate touch that showed he could well be Barcelona's new Xavi". planetfootball.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  23. "First goals for Gavi and Jutglà". FC Barcelona. 18 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  24. "Barcelona ease past Real Madrid to win Spanish Super Cup as PSG lose again". The Guardian. 15 January 2023.
  25. Marsden, Sam; Llorens, Moises (31 January 2023). "Court ruling allows Barcelona to register Gavi's new contract; LaLiga to appeal". ESPN.
  26. "Gavi to wear the number 6 jersey for Barça". FC Barcelona. 31 January 2023.
  27. Marsden, Sam; Llorens, Moises (21 March 2023). "Barcelona to appeal court's decision to reverse Gavi's registration - source". ESPN.
  28. Ballús, Pol. "Gavi could leave Barcelona for free after court ruling". The Athletic. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  29. "Dear Gavi, here's why you should join [insert club name] on a free transfer". The Athletic. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  30. "Barcelona complete Gavi registration with La Liga". OneFootball. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  31. "Italy 1 Spain 2". BBC Sport. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  32. Lowe, Sid (8 October 2021). "How 17-year-old Gavi became Spain's present and future". ESPN. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  33. "Spain vs. France – Football Match Report". ESPN. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  34. "Gavi becomes youngest ever goalscorer for Spanish national side". FC Barcelona. 6 June 2022. Archived from the original on 12 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  35. "Spain at the 2022 World Cup: who is in Luis Enrique's 26-man squad?". Reuters. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  36. Furniss, Matt (23 November 2022). "The Youngest Players to Score at a World Cup". theanalyst.com. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  37. Hunter, Graham (28 September 2021). "Ansu Fati and Gavi are Barcelona's future rising from the depths of a lost season". ESPN. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  38. "Gavi: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  39. "Gavi". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  40. "Czech Republic vs. Spain 2–2: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  41. "Jordan vs. Spain 1–3: Summary". Soccerway.
  42. "Spain vs. Costa Rica 7–0: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  43. "Spain vs. Cyprus 6–0: Summary". Soccerway.
  44. "Spain vs. Norway 1–0: Summary". Soccerway.
  45. "FC Barcelona, Liga champions 2022/23!". FC Barcelona. 14 May 2023.
  46. "Spanish Super Cup: Barcelona beat Real Madrid". BBC Sport. 15 January 2023.
  47. "Gavi (Barça), vainqueur du Trophée Kopa 2022". l'équipe. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  48. "DIRETTA Il Golden Boy 2022 è Gavi!". Tuttosport. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  49. "IFFHS MEN'S WORLD YOUTH (U20) TEAM 2022". 12 January 2023.
  50. "FFHS MEN'S CONTINENTAL YOUTH (U20) TEAMS 2022 - UEFA". 26 January 2023.
  51. FCBarcelona (9 February 2023). "Alexia and Gavi receive the Aldo Rovira award for the 2021/22 season". fcbarcelona. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
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