Ebrima Tunkara, following in Lamine's footsteps

The 16-year-old academy prospect could become Barcelona's second-youngest player ever to appear in a La Liga match, following Lamine Yamal's breakthrough.

Ebrima Tunkara, 16, is in contention to make his Barcelona debut in La Liga, potentially becoming only the second player in the club's history to play a league match at such a young age. Lamine Yamal holds the record after debuting at 15 years and 290 days in April 2023, going on to finish third in the Balón d'Or voting. If Tunkara plays today against Alavés, he would do so at 16 years and 235 days, placing him ahead of Vicenç Martínez (16 years and 280 days, who debuted in 1941). Manager Hansi Flick said "everything can happen" when asked about the prospect, noting that Tunkara has recovered from injury, trained with the first team all week, and impressed during pre-season. Ansu Fati and Pau Cubarsí round out the club's five youngest La Liga debutants.