Hello all, welcome back to the blog. The other day, Bob showed you some of the players to watch at this Olympics in general, and now, it’s my job as your resident Barcelona expert, to inform you of some of the ex-Barcelona, and some current Barcelona, talents to watch at the upcoming Olympics. Let’s get down to it.
Junior Firpo
Age: 27
Position: LB
Nationality: Dominican Republic
Current Club: Leeds
Years at Barca: 2019-2021
Highest level: Senior Team (41 games)
Junior Firpo’s Barcelona stint feels weird. He was never really that good, and was always second fiddle to Jordi Alba at the club in the years he was there. It was also strange that he was let go of, when Barca had Marc Cucurella still on their hands. However, he never really got his burn at Barca, and left to Leeds in 2021, now looking to lead this Dominican Republic side to glory.
Ilaix Moriba
Age: 21
Position: CM
Nationality: Guinea
Current Club: RB Leipzig
Years at Barca: 2010-2021
Highest level: Senior Team (18 games)
One of the most painful departures in my time as a Barca fan, Ilaix Moriba was touted as one of the next big things when he broke through into the senior team for Barca in early 2021. He would’ve been one of the crown jewels of the new era of Barca, but chose money, leaving for Leipzig that summer. In the end, he spent more time at Valencia than he did at Leipzig, and his stock has gradually fallen since said move. Now though, he’s one of the stars of this Guinea team at this Olympics.
Ilias Akhomach
Age: 20
Position: RW
Nationality: Morocco
Current Club: Villarreal
Years at Barca: 2017-2023
Highest Level: Senior Team (3 games)
Another sad departure, but one that was necessary. After getting loads of plaudits with great performances for the youth teams, Ilias was getting touted to do great things in the senior team, but just couldn’t make that final leap, and only made three appearances for the senior team. For Villarreal he’s been better, but for Morocco, he’ll be an impact sub most likely as he tries to get acquainted with playing time for Morocco.
Ez Abde
Age: 22
Position: LW
Nationality: Morocco
Current Club: Real Betis
Years at Barca: 2021-2023
Highest Level: Senior Team (14 games)
However, Abde will be a player relied on more heavily to contribute to this Morocco team, Abde has been a solid La Liga man for the past three seasons, just below Barca level. Now at Betis, Abde seems like he’ll have a journeyman career, but still a solid one, scoring 5 for Betis in his first season with them.
Arnau Tenas
Age: 23
Position: GK
Nationality: Spain
Current Club: PSG
Years at Barca: 2010-2023
Highest Level: Barca B (58 games)
Here we have a guy who couldn’t have done worse than Inaki Pena in the time last season when Ter Stegen was injured. Being the third choice goalkeeper for Barca after Neto’s departure, Tenas wasn’t satisfied with his lack of playtime, and thus went to PSG (?) for free to try his luck there. After 6 appearances last season, he’s going to be the starting choice keeper for Spain in these Olympics, for sure.
Juan Miranda
Age: 24
Position: LB
Nationality: Spain
Current Club: Bologna
Years at Barca: 2014-2021
Highest Level: Senior Team (4 games)
One of the precious over-23 spots has been assigned to this man for these Olympics. An ever-present in the B-Team for a while, Miranda left the Blaugrana in 2021 for Real Betis. After joining Betis, Miranda made over 100 appearances for his new side in 3 seasons, and left for Bologna this summer. Miranda will be relied on as one of the best and most senior players in this side, and will be a curator as Spain look to pick up their second title of the summer.
Eric Garcia
Age: 23
Position: CB
Nationality: Spain
Current Club: Barcelona
Years at Barca: 2008-2017, 2021-
Highest Level: Senior Team (70 games)
The only player on this list to have two stints at Barca, Eric Garcia originally joined at the age of 7 and left at 16 to join Man City, then returned 4 years later after becoming an established talent for free. 70 games in the two seasons he’s had at Barca since his return is more than I had imagined, and I see him being an important defender for Spain at this tournament.
Pau Cubarsi
Age: 17
Position: CB
Nationality: Spain
Current Club: Barcelona
Years at Barca: 2018-
Highest Level: Senior Team (24 games)
This is the other guy I see starting. After Spain broke the record for the youngest player in Euros history with Barca’s Lamine Yamal, they’re set to break the record for youngest player in Olympics history with Barca’s Pau Cubarsi. Joining in 2018 from Girona, Cubarsi has risen the ranks and made his breakthrough in 2024, and it’s been a meteoric one, and one that’s put the entire football world on notice, unless you’ve been living under a rock.
Diego Lopez
Age: 22
Position: LW
Nationality: Spain
Current Club: Valencia
Years at Barca: 2018-2021
Highest Level: U19 (1 game)
Diego Lopez is an odd case. Originally joining Real Madrid in 2017, he was snapped up by Barca for free the following year, left three years later after not doing all that much, and has impressed at Valencia. Going into these olympics, he’ll likely be seen as an impact sub, but should still get a good amount of playing time.
Abel Ruiz
Age: 24
Position: ST
Nationality: Spain
Current Club: Girona
Years at Barca: 2012-2020
Highest Level: Senior Team (1 game)
Another former B-Team regular, Ruiz will be counted on in Spain’s Olympic side as a senior figure and the starting striker. After leaving Barca in 2020 for Braga, he spent 4.5 years in Portugal, playing nearly 200 times and scoring or assisting 57 times. He’s joined Girona this summer, and could be a solid replacement if Artem Dovbyk’s rumoured move to Atlético Madrid goes through.
Fermin Lopez
Age: 21
Position: CM
Nationality: Spain
Current Club: Barcelona
Years at Barca: 2016-
Highest Level: Senior Team (42 games)
One of the only players to play in both the Euros/Copa America and the Olympics this summer, Fermin is coming off a major high after winning the Euros with Spain, albeit in a minor role. The midfielder will have a starting role most likely this time round, though. In a breakout 23/24 season, Fermin has looked like another addition to Barcelona’s stacked generation of La Masia prospects, and can be the stalwart Barca need for the next decade in that role.
Those are all the ex-Barca players that I could find in the squad lists, and there are a lot, at 11 total players. I’ll root for all of these guys (except maybe Moriba), and I hope they do well. Expect more Olympics content coming out from us as it happens, but for now, I’m Jim James, until next time.