Barcelona handed MAJOR boost as wonderkid signs new contract

Fermin Lopez has signed a new contract with FC Barcelona, securing his long-term future at the club.

Lopez has put pen to paper on a new deal, renewing his contract until 2029 and ensuring he will be part of Hansi Flick's new project at Barcelona.

"For me, it's a dream come true," Lopez told Barcelona's official channel. "The dream I've pursued since I joined La Masia."

Fermin Lopez joined Barcelona from Real Betis in 2016 when he was 13 years-old. Now 21 he is a firmly established member of the first-team squad.

"I hope to stay for many more years," Lopez added, indicating that although he is tied to the club until 2029 when he will be 26, he is keen to stay even further.

"The truth is this year I've achieved great things, unforgettable things," and he went on: "I'm very happy and hope I can keep achieving more to help the club as much as possible, and so that both I and the whole team can win many titles."

Lopez's determination to win titles with Barcelona is evident, and what makes it all the more amusing is that because he played so well last season, he earned a call-up to both Spain squads this summer - playing a squad role at Euro 2024 and a starring role at the Paris Olympic Games - and won both tournaments.

So he needs to win three trophies to be more successful with the Blaugrana than he is with Spain!

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An Incredible Journey

While many La Masia graduates come with a heavy dose of the hype machine behind them as their overwhelming quality leads to them being lavished with praise (not for nothing three of the last four Kopa Trophy winners are from Barcelona), Fermin Lopez is different.

A decent prospect in the youth teams, he was not regarded as a blue chip talent and was sent out on loan to Linares in the Spanish third division.

There, he thrived, scoring 12 times in 40 games. No one expected him to produce anything like that for Barcelona, but former manager Xavi really believed in him, and handed him many minutes.

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Fermin took his chance and ran with it, scoring goals and showcasing not all La Masia gradutes are fancy boys, some of them can be warriors too.

He scored in a Champions League knock-out tie and a Clásico in his debut campaign, then scored six times at the Olympic Games including twice in the final to secure Spain a Gold Medal.

Injury has delayed his start to 2024/25, but he got two assists in the 4-1 thrashing of Bayern Munich, showing that he very much can still go at the highest level.