How Barcelona Made a NEW BEAST out of MIKAYIL FAYE 😱
Ronald Araujo is no longer untransferrable!
Barcelona will be open to selling the Uruguayan for a fee starting at €100 MILLION!
The status of one of Barça's captains changed during the second leg clash against PSG, in which the defender made a crucial mistake, earning a red card in the 29th minute... Then there was a verbal spat with Gündogan, but that's not what we're talking about today...
Why are Barcelona ready to sell Araujo this summer?
For several reasons actually, with one of the main ones being that the Catalans already have a ready-made replacement for Ronald!
Meet Mikayil Faye, a 19-year-old Senegalese centre-back who is currently representing Barça Atletic and who has become an important member of the team that is fighting for promotion to the Segunda!
This guy has already stunned Xavi and the first team coaching staff with his skills and physique!
Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Manchester United, Juventus, Girona and RC Lens are all interested in his services!
Mika, as the guy is called at Barça for short, has already been described as the most promising defender of Barça Atletic, and tipped to join the first team next season!
So, who is Mikayil Faye and why is he the future of Barcelona?
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Where did Mikayil Faye come from?
The meteoric progress of Mikayil Faye has taken many football pundits by surprise!
The guy appeared in the top football orbit so quickly, he really left many pundits lost for words, thus they began to massively spread the thesis of Faye being a new top product of Barcelona's academy - La Masia!
It wasn't the case though...
Mikayil came from the bottom of Croatian club football - Barça scouts found a “new football monster” in NK Kustosija, a club that performs in the third division of the Croatian championship.
On July 1, 2023, Blaugrana announced the signing of the 18-year-old Senegalese defender for €1.5 million. Everyone was immediately shocked by the amount of compensation money included in the contract - €400 million! In other words, Barça knew that they were buying a real diamond!
A while later, Faye received very favorable reports from Barcelona journalists, while the first team coaching staff, led by Xavi, decided to immediately watch the boy in training. The coach was so impressed by what he saw, he took Mikayil to the pre-season training camp in the United States - Barça supporters were hyped with the matter back then, claiming that they could already imagine an incredible Araujo-Faye tandem in the center of defense - they were paired as two physically powerful monsters capable of destroying absolutely everyone on their way to victory!
However, the reality turned out to be different - the top talent, who had just emerged from the depths of Croatian football, was not ready for such a big leap and was only gaining the necessary experience and skills in training sessions with the stars of the main roster. Yet Xavi gave the youngster his debut during the meeting against AC Milan, releasing him in the 85th minute of the game.
And that was the end of his first-team minutes...
Phenomenal debut season at Barcelona
Moving to Barcelona, Mikayil was aware of the fact that he would spend his first campaign in Barcelona's second team, Barça Atlétic.
Therefore, once the pre-season fairy tale was over, the move to Barça B did not come as a shock to the Senegalese - on the contrary, he started working with even more focus and desire! With each game, Faye was getting better and better adapted to local football - by the way, Mikayil made a couple of second team appearances paired with Pau Cubarsi, so perhaps we will see this duo in the first team very soon!
'Barcelona Future Defense Is Secured,' here's how Barça fans hype them on KZfaq.
And they are NOT EXAGGERATING!
Mikayil has been one of Barça Atletic's biggest discoveries this season, helping the squad to fight for promotion.
He is the leader of their defensive line and one of the best defenders in Spain's third division! Faye stands out not only in terms of his defensive actions, but also as a very threatening weapon for attacks and set pieces - the Senegalese has netted 4 goals in 28 appearances!
He has a rather incredible shooting power that is somewhat reminiscent of the legendary Roberto Carlos' cannon! One must admit: there is something to it!
In his debut match for the national team of Senegal, Mika left everyone speechless with his thunderbolt! Now that's an amazingly effective weapon for Barcelona and Senegal's arsenal!
He is also showing phenomenal quality at headers - Mikayil headed 2 out of 4 goals for Barça Atletic! Apart from the free kick, look at this successful run into the opponent's box!
Faye's speed can leave a lasting impression too - he is capable of surprising his opponents both on short and long distances - physically, the guy looks like a REAL BEAST!