FC Barcelona is anxiously looking ahead to the summer football schedule, it is known Marca. With a European Championship and an Olympic Games approaching, the club’s top talents are once again in danger of being overexploited. Pedri, Gavi, Alejandro Balde, Lamine Yamal and Fermín López are eligible to play both tournaments.
The most important national tournament next summer is EURO 2024, which will be held from June 14 to July 14. Spain has already been assured of placement and can therefore book its tickets to host country Germany. The team of national coach Luis de la Fuente is looking for its fourth European title.
Almost immediately afterwards, from July 24 to August 10, the football tournament of the Olympic Games will take place in France. Spain travels to the tournament as a major contender, after taking silver at the previous Games in Tokyo.
Only players born after January 1, 2001 are eligible for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. In addition, countries may select three older dispensation players as usual.
Barcelona fears with great fear that its top talents will be overexploited. The club has had extremely bad experiences with a year in which both the European Championship and the Games are held. This was last in 2021, after the tournaments were postponed for a year due to the Covid pandemic.
Pedri, then only eighteen, had his breakthrough at Barcelona in the 2020/21 season and was taken by Spain to both the European Championship and the Games. Pedri therefore played 73 (!) games that season, the most of any professional football player in the world. This was followed by a laundry list of injuries for the technically gifted midfielder, who has since been out of action for no less than 400 days due to physical discomfort.
Barcelona fears that history will repeat itself next summer. The club is obliged to release players to the association if the player himself would like to play for his country. Pedri, Gavi, Balde, Yamal and Fermín have a good chance of being selected, at least for at least one of the two tournaments.
Behind the scenes, Barcelona is trying to put pressure on the Spanish association. He understands that the club is defending its interests, but sees winning gold at the Games as a higher goal. The player’s vote will ultimately be decisive for participation.
Another problem for Barcelona is that the Games are being completed while the new LaLiga competition season has already started. Missing the five talents mentioned would be a huge loss for the club in terms of sport.