Ansu Fati is in his sixth professional season as a footballer. He would’ve firmly established himself as the best in the world if not for persistent fitness issues. Instead, he is going on loan to revive his career. The current one with Monaco even has a buy clause inserted, meaning the club would let him go if he doesn’t live up to the potential. Fati loves Barcelona and knows he has to perform to make sure he has a career there. Internationally, after appearing for Spain at the World Cup as well, he lost his place to compatriots of the same age group who are performing consistently. He has a lot of work on hand to make sure he wins a berth on the plane to the USA for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Ansu Fati represented the local side, Herrera, where he grew up as a child. He quickly won a move to Sevilla, where he was making waves. Barcelona’s famed La Masia scouts wanted him at any cost and got their wish as Fati signed as a ten-year-old for Barcelona in 2012.
The youngster impressed everyone at the academy. His development was always ahead of its time as he regularly featured in games with players older than him. It gave the coaches confidence that he could do it on a senior scale if given the chance as well. Fati signed his first professional contract with the Catalans in 2019.
He made his senior league debut at 16 years and 298 days and became the second-youngest debutant for the club. Ansu’s senior debut came before he even appeared for the reserves. A first league goal on 31st August 2019 made him the youngest ever goalscorer for Barcelona and the third-youngest ever in La Liga at 16 years and 304 days.
He also became the youngest ever Champions League debutant for them and became the youngest scorer in the famed competition’s history when he scored against Inter Milan at the San Siro. A lot of these records were erased later by his teammate and the recent sensation Lamine Yamal. He ended his first professional season with eight goals and an assist.
The injury troubles began in the 2020/21 season. Fati scored a brace and won a penalty against Villarreal under new coach Ronald Koeman. After winning the Player of the Month in September and also scoring in El Clásico to become its second youngest scorer, he suffered a terrible knee injury against Real Betis in November. Tests confirmed that he tore the meniscus in his left knee, and he needed surgery. An initial four-month layoff turned into a nine-month absence ending his season.
After a long layoff, he returned to training ahead of the 2021/22 season. Fati even inherited the number 10 from Lionel Messi, who left for PSG on a free transfer. The return wasn’t as smooth as he expected, as the management changes meant his minutes were carefully managed. He suffered a couple of hamstring injuries in early 2022, as he missed the remainder of the season again.
Ansu Fati won the league for the first time in 2023 as he reached double-digit career goals in the 2022/23 season. He remained relatively injury-free, but the kind of impact from him was missing. To gain momentum, he was sent on loan to Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion for the 2023/24 season. Brighton, known for developing young talents, was the best place for him to regain some confidence.
He started the season well with some bright performances. He helped them win their first-ever European win by scoring in a 2-0 victory over Ajax in the Europa League. However, another calf injury in November kept him out of action till February. Brighton were out of all competitions by then, and Fati’s lack of match fitness meant he couldn’t contribute much to them towards the end. He ended the spell with a poor return of four goals and an assist in 27 games.
The forward returned to Barcelona with the hopes of finding a starting spot. By this time, Lamine Yamal was the hottest property in town ass he broke many of the record Fati set. His emergence meant Raphinha was shifted to the left wing, where Fati usually plays. Besides, Fati suffered a foot injury before the season even began, which kept him out of action till September. After a couple of appearances, he had another muscle injury in November.
Hansi Flick, who thrives on giving youngsters chances, gave few of them to Fati in the second half of the campaign as Fati remained fit. However, they mostly cameos late in the game. There was no real impact as Fati failed to score or assist in the 11 chances he got. The youngster added a second La Liga title, but he was just a member of the squad this time.
Flick openly admitted that Fati needs to do more to earn his place again. He loved Barcelona, but time was running out for him. The club waited for 3 years, and the player is yet to have a breakout campaign. He decided to fight for his place at the club despite his father’s attempts to get a move away. He extended his contract before leaving for Monaco for the upcoming season.
The loan deal this time has a buy-out clause, and Fati’s time will be up with the Catalans if Monaco hits the switch. It's up to him to produce a masterful season in Ligue 1 and fight for the Catalan shirt again.
Note: The numbers can be different in different sources due to differences in accounting of assists and goals based on different rules.
Fati was eligible to represent three countries internationally. Guinea-Bissau due to birthright, Portugal due to their colonial control over Guinea, and Spain, as he grew up there. His inevitable talent meant the Spanish government granted him a Spanish passport by naturalising him so he could represent them. Fati set his sights on the Spanish team as he gave up all his other options and pledged allegiance to Spain.
After debuting for Spain U-21 in 2019, he quickly became a part of the senior squad. He debuted and became the youngest goal scorer for Spain in 2020 when he scored against Ukraine at 17 years and 311 days. He even went to the 2022 World Cup and made a few cameo appearances.
However, Spain’s incredible success with Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams on the wings at the Euro meant Fati had no space in the team again. A huge season with Monaco could change that as they prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Note: The numbers can be different in different sources due to differences in accounting of assists and goals based on different rules.
Ansu Fati is a two-time league winner with Barcelona. He even has a Copa del Rey trophy to his name. Even on the international stage, he lifted the Nations League in 2023. On the personal level, he was named in the potential superstar teams.