Ansu Fati facts for kids

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Ansu Fati

Fati with Barcelona in 2022
Personal information
Full name	Anssumane Fati Vieira
Date of birth	(2002-10-31) 31 October 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth	Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Forward, winger
Team information
Current team	Monaco (on loan from Barcelona)
Number	31
Youth career
	Escuela Peloteros Sierra Sur
	Sevilla
2012–2019	Barcelona
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–	Barcelona	86	(22)
2023–2024	→ Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)	19	(2)
2025–	→ Monaco (loan)	0	(0)
International career‡
2019–2020	Spain U21	2	(0)
2020–2023	Spain	10	(2)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Spain UEFA Nations League Winner 2023 Netherlands
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:59, 3 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 June 2023 (UTC)

Anssumane “Ansu” Fati Vieira (born October 31, 2002) is a professional football player. He plays as a forward or winger. Ansu Fati is currently on loan at Ligue 1 club Monaco. He is on loan from La Liga club Barcelona.

Ansu Fati joined Barcelona's famous La Masia academy in 2012. He made his first team debut in August 2019 when he was just 16. He became the club's second-youngest player to debut in La Liga. He also scored a goal very soon after. Ansu Fati quickly became famous around the world. However, he faced many serious injuries. He helped Barcelona win some trophies in 2024–25. But he did not play much under coach Hansi Flick. He was often out due to injuries. In the summer of 2025, he joined Monaco on a loan deal for the 2025–26 season. This deal includes an option for Monaco to buy him later.

Ansu Fati's Early Life

Ansu Fati was born on October 31, 2002, in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. When he was five years old, his family moved to Seville, Spain. They moved because his older brother, Braima, signed with Sevilla. Ansu has another brother, Miguel Fati, who is also a footballer. His older cousin, Ença Fati, plays football too.

Ansu Fati's Club Career

Playing for Barcelona

Starting His Career

Ansu Fati played for a local team called Herrera. He also played for the youth teams of Sevilla. In 2012, when he was ten, he joined Barcelona's La Masia academy. His brother had joined Barcelona a year before him.

Amazing Start: 2019–20 Season

On July 24, 2019, Ansu Fati signed his first professional contract with Barcelona. The deal was until 2022. On August 25, he made his first team debut in La Liga. He played as a substitute in a 5–2 home win against Real Betis. He was 16 years and 298 days old. This made him the second-youngest player to debut for Barcelona. He was only 18 days older than Vicenç Martínez in 1941.

On August 31, 2019, he scored his first professional goal. This happened in a 2–2 away draw against Osasuna. He was 16 years and 304 days old. He became Barcelona's youngest goalscorer ever. He was also the third-youngest scorer in La Liga history.

On September 14, 2019, Ansu Fati started his first game. He became the youngest player in La Liga history to score and assist in the same match. He was 16 years and 318 days old. He scored a goal in the second minute. He then helped Frenkie de Jong score in the seventh minute. Barcelona won the game 5–2 against Valencia.

On September 17, he played his first Champions League game. It was a 0–0 draw against Borussia Dortmund. He became the youngest player to play for Barcelona in this competition. He was 16 years and 321 days old. He broke the record held by Bojan Krkić. On December 10, he became the youngest goalscorer in Champions League history. He was 17 years and 40 days old. He scored the winning goal in Barcelona's 2–1 victory over Inter Milan.

On February 2, 2020, Ansu Fati became the youngest player to score two goals in a La Liga game. He scored both goals in Barcelona's 2–1 win over Levante. On July 5, Barcelona won 4–1 against Villarreal. Ansu Fati scored the fourth goal. This goal was the 9,000th in Barcelona's history. On July 9, 2020, Ansu Fati was sent off the field. This happened after he fouled Fernando Calero in a game against Espanyol. He had only been in the game for five minutes.

Injuries and Comebacks: 2020–21 Season

On September 23, 2020, Ansu Fati officially joined Barcelona's first team. Four days later, he scored two goals in Barcelona's first game of the 2020–21 La Liga season. This was also the first game under the new coach, Ronald Koeman. Barcelona won 4–0 against Villarreal. He scored again in the next game, a 3–0 win against Celta Vigo. Because of his great performances, he was named the La Liga Player of the Month for September 2020. On October 20, he scored a goal in a 5–1 win over Ferencváros in the Champions League. He became the first player to score more than one goal in the competition before turning 18.

On October 24, Ansu Fati scored a goal in a 1–3 loss against Real Madrid. He became the second-youngest scorer in El Clásico history. He was 17 years and 359 days old. On November 7, Ansu Fati got a knee injury against Real Betis. He had to leave the game at half-time. Tests showed he tore a part of his left knee. Two days later, he had surgery. The club said he would be out for about four months. However, he was out for nine months. He started training again just before the 2021–22 La Liga season.

Ansu Fati training for a pre-season game against Inter Miami in 2022

Wearing the Number 10: 2021–22 Season

Before the 2021–22 season, Barcelona announced that Ansu Fati would wear the number 10 shirt. This shirt was previously worn by Lionel Messi. On August 5, 2021, he returned to training on the field. This was after nine months of being out due to injury. On September 26, he played his first game after 323 days. Barcelona won 3–0 against Levante. He came on as a substitute and scored a goal just minutes later.

On January 20, 2022, Ansu Fati got a hamstring injury. This happened in a 3–2 loss to Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey. On May 1, he returned after three months of injury. He played in a 2–1 win against Mallorca.

Loan to Brighton & Hove Albion

On September 1, 2023, Ansu Fati joined Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion. He joined them on a loan deal for one season. There was no option for Brighton to buy him. He made his debut for Brighton on September 16. He came on as a substitute in a 3–1 away win over Manchester United. He scored his first goal for Brighton on September 30 against Aston Villa. On October 26, Ansu Fati helped Brighton win their first-ever European competition game. He scored the second goal in a 2–0 victory against Ajax in a group stage match. This was his first goal in the Europa League.

Back to Barcelona

Ansu Fati returned to Barcelona for the 2024–25 season. He did not play much under coach Hansi Flick. The coach said that Ansu Fati needed to work hard to get his place back in the team.

Loan to Monaco

On July 1, 2025, Ansu Fati was loaned to Ligue 1 team Monaco. This loan is until the end of the season. Monaco has an option to buy him permanently.

Ansu Fati's International Career

Ansu Fati playing for Spain in 2020

Ansu Fati could have played for Guinea-Bissau, where he was born. But he never played for them. After he debuted in La Liga, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) became interested in him. Reports said the Spanish government wanted to give him Spanish citizenship. This was so he could play for the squad in the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He could also have gotten a Portuguese passport. This was because his grandparents were born in colonial Portuguese Guinea.

Ansu Fati became a Spanish citizen on September 20, 2019. He gave up his Guinea-Bissau citizenship. He was called to the Spain under-21 team on October 11, 2019. This happened after Carles Pérez got injured. Ansu Fati played his first game for the Spain under-21 team on October 15, 2019, against Montenegro.

Ansu Fati was called up to the main Spain squad on August 20, 2020. This was for the first two matches of the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League.

Ansu Fati made his full international debut on September 3, 2020. He came on as a substitute in a 1–1 draw against Germany. He scored his first goal in his first international start on September 6, 2020. He scored Spain's third goal against Ukraine. He became the national team's youngest ever goalscorer. He was 17 years and 311 days old. He broke the 95-year record of Juan Errazquin. He also became the youngest player to start a match in the UEFA Nations League. His teammate at Barcelona, Gavi, later broke both these records on June 5, 2022.

On November 11, 2022, it was announced that Ansu Fati would be part of Spain's 2022 FIFA World Cup squad. He played two games as a substitute. Spain was knocked out by Morocco in the round of 16.

Ansu Fati's Playing Style

Before his injuries, many experts thought Ansu Fati was one of the most talented young players in the world. They even compared him to Lionel Messi. He is a versatile forward, meaning he can play in many attacking positions. He started as a striker. Later, he moved to play as a left winger. He is good with both feet, even though he is naturally right-footed. He can also play on the right side, in the centre as a false 9, or as a second striker. He can also play as an attacking midfielder.

In 2019, a magazine called FourFourTwo described Ansu Fati. They said he is 5 feet 10 inches tall and has a strong body. He plays with a physical style that Barcelona's technical team sometimes lacks. Even with his strong body, he has amazing dribbling skills. When he combines this with his speed, it is very hard to stop him when he is facing one defender. The article also mentioned his ability to score goals and his skill in heading the ball. It also noted his vision and ability to control the game from midfield. However, it also said that sometimes he could be a bit selfish and his decision-making could improve. Tor-Kristian Karlsen from ESPN called Ansu Fati a "generational talent" in 2021. He praised his speed, quickness, and ability to use both feet. He also noted his low center of gravity and technical skills, which make it hard to take the ball from him. Karlsen also mentioned his intelligence, movement, defensive work, and ability to link up with teammates as his main strengths.

Ansu Fati's Personal Life

Ansu Fati's father, Bori Fati, was also a footballer. He was born in Guinea-Bissau. After moving to Portugal, Bori played for some lower league teams. Then he moved to Marinaleda, a small town near Seville. This town offered jobs to immigrants. After facing difficulties in Marinaleda, he met the mayor, Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo. He found a job as a driver. He then settled in the nearby town of Herrera. Ansu spent most of his childhood there and started his football training. Even though he was born in Guinea-Bissau, Bori has said he feels like "a Sevillian."

Ansu Fati and his family are practicing Muslims. When he was injured, he regularly performed Islamic prayers. He has also completed the Islamic pilgrimage of Umrah.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first.

List of international goals scored by Ansu Fati

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	6 September 2020	Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium, Madrid, Spain	2	Ukraine	3–0	4–0	2020–21 UEFA Nations League A
2	17 November 2022	Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan	5	Jordan	1–0	3–1	Friendly

Honours

Barcelona

• La Liga: 2022–23, 2024–25
• Copa del Rey: 2024–25
• Supercopa de España: 2023

Spain

• UEFA Nations League: 2022–23

Individual Awards

• UEFA La Liga Revelation Team of the Year: 2019–20
• La Liga Player of the Month: September 2020
• IFFHS Men's World Youth (U20) Team: 2020, 2022
• IFFHS Men's Youth (U20) UEFA Team: 2020, 2022
• Goal.com NxGn: 2021

See also

In Spanish: Ansu Fati para niños

• Afro-Spaniards
• List of Spain international footballers born outside Spain