To say that Guiu hit the ground running after entering the Barcelona starting line-up would be a gross understatement.
The La Masia graduate made an immediate impact after coming on in the 79th minute of Barcelona’s match against Athletic Bilbao in October 2023 and scored just 33 seconds later to give Xavi’s team a 1-0 victory.
However, his path to the senior team was much more difficult. The diminutive frontman, hit by multiple growth spurts during his teenage years, did not always feature regularly in the youth team.
“He missed a lot of games,” Albert Capellas, former assistant director of youth football at Barcelona, told Sky Sports earlier this year. “He couldn’t train.
“It’s what happens at a lot of clubs, if you can’t train or play you may have to leave. [But] in Barcelona we know the level of the players and we give them time.
The patience of the Catalan club worked to Guiu’s advantage. He made a further six appearances for the senior team in the 2023–24 season, again scoring in a 3–2 loss to Royal Antwerp in the Champions League.
“Marc Guiu is finishing the race,” added Capellas. “[He] he is not a player who has incredible one-on-one skills and can dribble past other players. He is a different type of player, but he is unique in his position. He has a nose for scoring goals.”
In June this year, Chelsea reached an agreement to activate his £5m release clause before signing the youngster to a five-year contract with the option of a further year at Stamford Bridge.
