Ansu Fati facts for kids
Fati training with Barcelona in 2022
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 31 October 2002 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bissau, Guinea-Bissau | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward, winger | |||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Barcelona | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| Escuela Peloteros Sierra Sur | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Herrera | |||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Sevilla | |||||||||||||||
| 2012–2019 | Barcelona | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2019– | Barcelona | 84 | (22) | |||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 19 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Spain U21 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2020– | Spain | 10 | (2) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Ansu Fati (born October 31, 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger. He plays for the famous Spanish club Barcelona. Ansu Fati was born in Guinea-Bissau, but he plays for the Spain national team.
Contents
Early Life and Football Start
Ansu Fati was born on October 31, 2002, in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. When he was five years old, his family moved to Seville, Spain. This happened because his older brother, Braima, signed to play for Sevilla. Ansu also has another brother, Miguel, and a cousin, Ença Fati, who are footballers too.
Club Career Highlights
Ansu Fati's journey in football began at a young age.
Joining Barcelona's Youth Academy
Ansu played for local teams like Herrera and Sevilla's youth squads. In 2012, when he was just ten, he joined Barcelona's famous youth academy, La Masia. This was a year after his brother joined the same academy.
Making History in 2019–2020
On July 24, 2019, Ansu Fati signed his first professional contract with Barcelona. He agreed to stay with the club until 2022.
- Youngest Debut: On August 25, he played his first game for Barcelona's main team. He was only 16 years and 298 days old. This made him the second-youngest player ever to play for the club.
- Youngest Goal Scorer: On August 31, 2019, he scored his first professional goal. He was 16 years and 304 days old. This made him Barcelona's youngest goal scorer ever and the third-youngest in La Liga history.
- Goal and Assist Record: On September 14, 2019, Ansu became the youngest player in La Liga to score and assist in the same game. He was 16 years and 318 days old.
- Champions League Debut: He made his Champions League debut on September 17. He was 16 years and 321 days old. This made him Barcelona's youngest player in that competition.
- Youngest Champions League Goal Scorer: On December 10, Ansu became the youngest goal scorer in Champions League history. He scored the winning goal against Inter Milan at 17 years and 40 days old.
- Youngest to Score Two Goals: On February 2, 2020, he became the youngest player to score two goals in a single La Liga match.
The 2020–2021 Season and Injury
On September 23, 2020, Ansu Fati was officially promoted to Barcelona's first team. Just four days later, he scored two goals in Barcelona's first game of the 2020–21 season. His great performances earned him the La Liga Player of the Month award for September 2020.
On October 20, he scored another Champions League goal. This made him the first player to score more than one goal in the competition before turning 18.
Sadly, on November 7, Ansu suffered a serious knee injury. He had to have surgery and was out of action for about nine months.
The Number 10 Shirt and Return
Before the 2021–22 season, Barcelona announced that Ansu Fati would wear the number 10 shirt. This shirt was previously worn by the legendary player Lionel Messi.
On September 26, Ansu made his return to the field after 323 days. He came on as a substitute and scored a goal within minutes. However, he faced another injury in January 2022, a hamstring injury. He returned to play in May.
Loan to Brighton & Hove Albion
On September 1, 2023, Ansu Fati joined the English club Brighton & Hove Albion on a loan deal for one season. He made his debut for Brighton on September 16. He scored his first goal for the club on September 30.
On October 26, Ansu helped Brighton win their first-ever game in a European competition. He scored a goal in their 2–0 victory against Ajax in the Europa League.
Playing for Spain
Ansu Fati was born in Guinea-Bissau, but he chose to play for the Spain national team.
- Spanish Citizenship: On September 20, 2019, he officially became a Spanish citizen.
- Under-21 Debut: He was called up to the Spain under-21 team and made his debut on October 15, 2019.
- Senior Team Debut: Ansu received his first call-up to the main Spain squad on August 20, 2020. He made his full international debut on September 3, 2020, against Germany.
- Youngest Goal Scorer for Spain: On September 6, 2020, he scored his first goal for Spain. He was 17 years and 311 days old. This made him the national team's youngest ever goal scorer, breaking a record that had stood for 95 years!
- World Cup Appearance: In November 2022, Ansu Fati was part of Spain's team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He played in two games during the tournament.
How Ansu Fati Plays
Before his injuries, many experts thought Ansu Fati was one of the most talented young players in the world. Some even compared him to Lionel Messi.
Ansu is a very flexible player who can play in many attacking positions. He started as a striker but often plays 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 middle as a false 9, or as a second striker.
He is known for his strong build and physical style of play. He also has amazing dribbling skills and speed, which makes it very hard for defenders to stop him. Ansu is good at scoring goals and can even score with his head. He also has good vision and can help control the game from the midfield.
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 smaller teams. He then moved to a town in Spain called Marinaleda, which offered jobs to immigrants. Ansu spent most of his childhood in a nearby town called Herrera, where he started his football training.
Ansu and his family are Muslims. During his time recovering from injuries, he often performed Islamic prayers. He has also completed the Islamic pilgrimage called Umrah.
Honours
Ansu Fati has won several important titles with his clubs and country:
Barcelona
- La Liga: 2022–23
- Copa del Rey: 2020–21
- Supercopa de España: 2023, 2025
Spain
- UEFA Nations League: 2022–23
Individual Awards
- La Liga Player of the Month: September 2020
- IFFHS Men's World Youth (U20) Team: 2020, 2022
See Also
In Spanish: Ansu Fati para niños
- List of Spain international footballers born outside Spain
