Xavi Espart: La Masia's New Midfield Star for Barcelona

Hansi Flick’s ‘new signing’ is already here. He grew up a few kilometres from Camp Nou, wears an academy badge on his footballing soul, and has just been quietly moved into the heart of FC Barcelona’s midfield.

His name is Xavi Espart. And he might walk out as a starter in Elche on Sunday night.

From La Masia corridor to first-team engine room

Barcelona begin their 2026/27 La Liga title defence away to Elche, late on Sunday, after a delayed start to the season brought on by their heavy World Cup involvement. Flick arrives as reigning champion from 2025/26, a season in which he leaned hard into the talent of La Masia’s Class of 2007.

• Lamine Yamal.
• Pau Cubarsí.
• Marc Bernal.
• Now Xavi Espart.

The trio of Yamal, Cubarsí and Bernal have already become symbols of a new Barça, each of them born in 2007, each of them shaped on the same academy pitches. Espart followed them into the spotlight last season, ticking off the dream that drives thousands of kids through La Masia’s doors every year: a competitive debut for Barcelona.

It didn’t come at home, under the bright lights of Montjuïc or Camp Nou. It came in the north of England, in an orange away shirt.

Thrown on late in a 1–1 draw at Newcastle United in the Champions League last-16 first leg, Espart’s first steps in blaugrana colours actually arrived in that vivid orange kit still being used in this year’s preseason. It was a brief cameo, but it cracked the door open.

By the end of the campaign, he had six first-team appearances under Flick. Not a starring role, but enough to plant an idea.

Flick’s Lahm comparison and a positional gamble

Inside the club, coaches had long known Espart as a midfielder. La Masia staff saw him dictate games from the centre of the pitch. The first team, though, initially met him as a defender.

Flick, who once turned Philipp Lahm into a world-class central midfielder at Bayern, quickly spotted something similar. He viewed Espart as that kind of hybrid profile: intelligent, tactically disciplined, able to operate at right-back or step into midfield.

This summer, the experiment has accelerated.

Preseason has offered a clear clue: Espart has been used exclusively in midfield. The right-back lane now looks spoken for, with Eric Garcia strongly positioned there and pushing Jules Koundé for minutes. That frees Flick to treat Espart not as a utility option, but as a genuine midfield piece.

The shift has not gone unnoticed.

Basel, the Gamper, and a growing buzz

Culers watching preseason have already picked out Espart’s performances as one of the main talking points of the summer.

In the 2–5 win away to Basel last Sunday, he impressed with his composure and movement between the lines, knitting play together while showing the same calm he carried in youth football. Then came the Gamper Trophy against Al Ahly, a 2–1 victory where he came close to adding his name to the scoresheet, only to be denied near the line.

Those moments matter. Not because of the goals that almost were, but because of what they reveal: a young midfielder arriving into the box with timing and conviction, comfortable in the chaos of the final third.

For a coach like Flick, who values structure but demands verticality, that profile is gold.

A door opens in Elche

Now the context sharpens. Barcelona’s title defence starts at 21:30 local time on Sunday against Elche. The squad is still not at full strength.

Pedri is not yet fit. New signing Rodri is also unavailable. Two big midfield options, gone from Flick’s whiteboard for the opening night.

That changes everything for Espart.

Suddenly, the path to the starting XI is not a romantic story about La Masia. It’s a very real tactical solution. Flick could line him up in midfield alongside his fellow 2007 graduates, Lamine Yamal and Marc Bernal, and trust that the chemistry they built as teenagers can carry into the league champions’ engine room.

The idea of a Barça midfield and attack stitched together by academy kids born in the same year is no longer a fantasy. It’s a selection option.

Waiting on Cubarsí, dreaming of a quartet

One question lingers over the back line: Pau Cubarsí.

The World Cup’s Best Young Player did not feature in the Gamper, which naturally sparked debate. Was it a precaution after a long summer? Or a hint that Flick will ease him back in?

Those inside the club remain cautious with his minutes, but the possibility of all four 2007 talents starting together – Yamal, Cubarsí, Bernal and Espart – is growing.

If it happens in Elche, it will be more than a snapshot for social media. It will be a statement. A reigning La Liga champion walking into a new season with a spine built around teenagers from its own academy.

For now, Espart stands at the centre of that story, the latest La Masia graduate Flick has quietly turned into a key piece. On Sunday night, in a stadium far from home, we may find out just how ready he is to own Barcelona’s midfield.