Photo by Rayand. Wikimedia Commons.

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Ansu Fati


 

Anssumane “Ansu” Fati Vieira is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team. He was born in Guinea-Bissau but chose to represent the Spain national team after gaining citizenship. He is widely considered one of Spain’s most exciting football talents, and one of the best young players in the world.

Fati moved to Herrera, Seville, with his family at the age of six, when his older brother Braima signed for Sevilla. His other brother, Miguel Fati, is also a footballer. His father, Bori Fati, is an ex-footballer, who was born in Guinea-Bissau. Here are the top 10 interesting facts about Ansu Fati.

1. He started out by playing in lower leagues

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, home of Ole Miss football in Oxford, Mississippi. Photo by Matthew Nichols. Wikimedia Commons.

After emigrating to Portugal, Bori played for some teams in the lower leagues. Then, he moved to Marinaleda, a small town located near Seville, that was offering work to immigrants.

After struggling in Marinaleda, he met the mayor Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo, and found a job as a driver. He then settled in the nearby town of Herrera, where Ansu spent most of his childhood, and started his football training.

2. He was the youngest La Liga player in 2019

On 14 September 2019, in his first career start, Fati became the youngest player in the history of La Liga to score and assist in the same match, at the age of 16 years and 318 days. Fati scored a goal in the 2nd minute which was assisted by Frenkie de Jong and later assisted Frenkie de Jong’s goal in the 7th minute of an eventual 5–2 home win against Valencia.

On 10 December, Fati became the youngest goalscorer in UEFA Champions League history at the age of 17 years and 40 days when he scored the game winner in Barcelona’s 2–1 victory over Inter Milan at the San Siro.

3. His style of playing has been compared to Lionel Messi

Widely considered by several pundits to be one of the most talented and promising young players in the world, Fati’s playing style has been compared with that of former Barcelona player Lionel Messi.

A versatile forward, Fati is capable of playing in any attacking position; he started his career as a striker, although he was later moved to the position of left winger. Being adept with either foot, despite being naturally right-footed, he is also capable of playing on the right flank, in the centre as a false 9, as a second striker or number 11, or in a free role as an attacking midfielder or number 10.

4. His family was originally from Guinea Bissau

Four years before he was born, a civil war broke out in his home country, followed by a military coup in 2003, a year after he was born. The coup left his country in ruins and also intensified widespread poverty.

Ansu Fati’s parents were worried about their children’s future and this resulted in Bori, his dad leaving Guinea-Bissau in search of a better future abroad. Bori first migrated to Portugal, where he had a failed endeavor to begin a football career in the lower leagues. They later moved to Spain.

5. He signed his first contract in 2019

Photo by Albinfo. Wikimedia Commons.

Fati signed his first professional contract with Barcelona on 24 July 2019, agreeing to a deal until 2022. He recently signed a deal that will keep him there until 2022 which contains a ‎€100 million release clause.

He was called up by coach Ernesto Valverde following injuries to Messi, Luis Suarez, and Ousmane Dembele after impressing for the Under-19 team in pre-season despite being three years younger than most of his teammates.

6. Barcelona needed Ansu’s parents permission to let him play

Being handed his first-team debut will undoubtedly be one of Fati’s favorite moments in his career, but Barcelona actually had to ask for permission from his parents to play him. That’s how young he is.

La Liga regulations state that young players are not allowed to play in late-night matches without specific authorization from the parents, so Barcelona had to reach out to Fati’s family to get permission. Understandably, they didn’t hesitate to say yes!

7. He suffered a double leg break at 13

Photo by Fortepan. Wikimedia Commons.

The noticeable fact about the Guinea-Bissau-born attacker is that he has suffered a double leg break at age 13. It looks like Fati has already been through a lot in his young career, and one of the worst moments was undoubtedly his horrific double leg break.

Fati was ruled out for almost a year after suffering a double leg break during a youth match against Espanyol. However, the young forward kept his head up and returned strongly after his early injury woes. A year after the horrific injury, Fati was thrust into Barca’s Juvenil A side, where he was converted from a central forward to a left-winger.

8. He turned down Real Madrid to join Barcelona

The most interesting fact about Fati is that the 16-year-old turned down Real Madrid in order to join Barcelona. His parents visited the academies of both teams but ultimately decided that Barca would be the best place for their son.

The player’s father, Bori, later revealed in an interview with reporters that they chose Barca over Real Madrid because the Blaugrana had a residence for the kids they signed.

9. His net worth is more than 4 million dollars

The Barcelona starlet’s net worth is more than $4 million, including his salary from FC Barcelona. As a young football player, he has many opportunities to grow up more professionally in the presence of some of the greatest football players in the club.

10. He has had 4 surgeries

Photo by Clément Bucco-Lechat. Wikimedia Commons.

He has had four operations in six months. After three failed arthroscopies in an effort to save his original meniscus, the forward resolved on May 2021 to heed the opinions of some outside experts who advised the definitive removal of the meniscus as the only solution to his recovery problems.