Instant impact: Barcelona talent surprises Flick with a stunning display

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Barcelona kicked off their pre-season in style, beating CE Europa 4-1 in a friendly at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper before heading to England. 

The Catalan side dominated from start to finish. Yet the name on everyone's lips was Alex Gonzalez, who scored one and made another after coming on at half-time. 

According to "Sport", the young winger made an instant impact, capping his second week under Hansi Flick in the finest fashion.

Flick handed Gonzalez a taste of first-team preparations after his standout form in the closing stretch of the 2025-2026 season with the youth side.

Signed from Dam, Gonzalez made his debut for Pol Planas's team at the start of April and nailed down a starting spot in record time. 

His performances earned him a shot with the first team, and he made clear from the off he had no intention of letting it slip.

Against Europa, Alex teed up Ibrahima Toumkara in the 48th minute with a fine run down the left. Ten minutes later he pounced on a gift from Toni Fernandez arriving from the opposite side to slot home the fourth with ease. 

Those two goals delivered the knockout blow. The scoreline mattered less than the chance it gave Flick to run the rule over Barcelona's brightest academy talents, who took advantage of the absentees away on World Cup duty to train alongside first-team names like Alejandro Balde, Fermin Lopez and Marc Bernal.

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Alex Gonzalez's integration is going smoothly

Alex had signed a contract covering the remaining period of his youth-category eligibility, plus two further seasons with the reserve team, where he is expected to play an important role. The first team's coaching staff, though, decided to include him from the start of training as they prepared for the new season.

Comfortable on both wings, the 19-year-old forward also chips in with plenty of goals, finishing the season among the top scorers of his group in the Liga de Honor. He can dribble and beat opponents too. So far, he has handled this major leap in his career with considerable maturity.

Alex González has settled into the Barcelona dressing room smoothly through pre-season. 

He has enjoyed the backing of the coaching staff and the first-team players to ease his adaptation, and the presence of team-mates who came up with him from the youth team, such as Gariba and Ebrima, has helped him bed in quickly.

Flick plans to take every young player he has overseen during the first two weeks of pre-season to the training camp at "St George's Park". 

That points to a debut for Alex next Friday, when Barcelona face Birmingham City.