Marc Bernal's football impact on Barça's first team has been promising since his official debut on August 17, 2024, at Mestalla against Valencia (1-2) and especially with his outstanding performance last Sunday against Levante (3-0).
It is important to remember that he is only 18 years old and spent nearly 13 of his first 18 professional months sidelined due to an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in his left knee and an associated external meniscus injury suffered in Vallecas on August 27, 2024. Since his return on September 14 against Valencia (6-0), where he assisted Robert Lewandowski, he has been the most patient and wise, now reaping the rewards.
Newly arrived coach Hansi Flick trusted the 17-year-old from Berga, following in Rafa Márquez's footsteps who gave him full confidence at Barça when he was 16. Flick saw him as a special player in starting line-ups and still thinks so, simply applying caution with a young athlete undergoing physical and muscular development, gradually increasing his minutes because, as he once said, "we have to prepare him for the next 15 years, not just one match."
Against Levante, Bernal was a key player in a double pivot alongside Frenkie de Jong in Flick's usual 4-2-3-1. Due to his dominance in the position, peripheral vision, and the wide area he covers thanks to his 193 cm height, the coach is considering the possibility of playing him as the sole defensive midfielder in a more traditional 4-3-3 style with Pedri and de Jong, or other more classic midfield options.
This naturally leads to inevitable comparisons with Sergio Busquets, which Bernal accepts proudly because of his admiration for the Badia midfielder but rejects them modestly: "I think it's still very early to compare myself with him, I'm very young and want to forge my own path. Busquets has always been a reference and a role model for me. He's a legend. Honestly, I'm very happy to be compared to him, it excites me because it means I'm doing things right."
Certainly, his stats in 66 minutes against Levante echoed Busquets, though with caution. A hundred percent passing accuracy: 47 passes with no losses, 14 of them in the final third where ideas often get clouded. He played everything simply, in one or two touches. He won two tackles and an aerial duel. Blocked a shot. Caused two fouls and suffered two fouls. Did a dribble and scored a goal arriving at the finish decisively, the second in three games after scoring against Mallorca, standing out due to his previous performances.
Bernal carries in his DNA the goal threat Busquets lacked. He's a player who arrives forward and has a powerful left-footed shot which we haven't yet fully seen. This is the result of his years as an attacking and technical number 10 in formative football before his physical growth transformed him into a defensive midfielder at senior level.
