Barcelona
prodigy Pablo Martin Paez Gavira, also known as Gavi became the youngest player
ever to feature in a senior Spain international on Monday. He was picked by
manager Luis Enrique to start the UEFA Nations League semi-final clash with
Italy.

He became the
youngest man to don the Spain shirt at the age of 17 years and 62 days,
surpassing the record established by Angel Zubieta in 1936.

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His Blaugrana teammate
Ansu Fati came close to breaking the record last year when he made his Spain
debut at the age of 17 years and 308 days, becoming the second-youngest
debutant behind Zubieta.

Gavi was a
member of Real Betis’ youth levels when he was born in Los Palacios y
Villafranca, Andalusia, and a tiny town around 30 kilometres outside of
Seville.

Gavi was scouted
by prominent Spanish clubs like Villarreal, Real Madrid, and Atlético Madrid
after scoring 96 goals for Real Betis’ junior squad.

Also Read: Nations League: Spain hands Italy its first defeat since 2018, end record run

He joined FC
Barcelona at the age of 11 in 2015. In September 2020, he signed his first
professional contract. He was promoted directly from the under-16 squad to the
under-19 squad. He made his La Liga debut against Getafe on August 29, a year later, only weeks after his 17th birthday.

At the age of
16, Gavi characterized himself as a “technical player who is agile and
arrives in the penalty area,” according to the sports website GOAL.

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“He is so
technically gifted,” Franc Artiga, a former coach of Gavi’s at La Masia, said
in a conversation with the same media outlet.

The coach added,
“He is capable of changing a what he is about to do in tenths of a second, and
improvising under any circumstance of the game. It is very difficult to find a
player with these abilities, and with this speed of execution.”