Barca midfielder is praised for using his head to break the ball
In the 23rd minute, when the score was not open, Gavi plunged to the ground and flew to try to block Dani Garcia's pass with his head.
In the second half, when Barca was ahead, the Spanish midfielder rushed again and tried to use his head to break the ball right in front of Raul Garcia's shoe. The Bilbao player hit hard and then fell on top of Gavi's head.
Puyol admired Gavi's competitive spirit and determination, posting on Twitter a series of clapping emojis to praise his fellow countrymen.
Puyol grew up from Barca's youth academy and spent his entire career for the Nou Camp team. The former centre-back scored 18 goals in 593 matches, winning six La Liga titles, two King's Cups, four Spanish Super Cups, three Champions Leagues, one European Super Cup and two FIFA Club World Cups. On the national team level, Puyol won the Euro 2008 and 2010 World Cup with Spain.
LaLigaTV is worried about the Barca midfielder, when posting a video of the dispute with the message "Gavi really dedicates despite the danger for Barca".
On social networks, many fans were also worried when they saw Gavi having two situations where he tried to break the ball with his head right in front of the opponent's leg range. "These situations can seriously injure Gavi," said one fan. "Someone tell Gavi to stop," another wrote.
There were also many comments praising Gavi for showing a "great" effort and having a "different spirit", while one fan emphasized that the 18-year-old midfielder deserves respect. Gavi is also known as "the Puyol version of the midfield", referring to the famously strong and aggressive defensive style of the former Barca captain.
After missing the 1-0 win over Valencia on March 5 due to a suspension, Gavi returned to the starting lineup for the trip to Bilbao's San Mames stadium on March 12. The midfielder played 89 minutes, touched the ball 59 times, passed with 74% accuracy with a key, tackled three times and contested the winning hand nine times.
Despite Gavi's aggressiveness, Barca encountered many difficulties before Bilbao's counter-attacking defensive play. However, Xavi's army still won three points thanks to Raphinha's diagonal kick in the first half of injury time. This result helps Barca re-establish a nine-point gap with Real, and run the perfect momentum for the El Clasico match at Camp Nou on March 19.
Joining the Barca youth team in 2015, Gavi was included in the main squad by Ronald Koeman in the 2021-2022 season, and continues to be used by Xavi. This season, he has two goals and five assists in 36 games in all competitions. In 2022, Gavi won both Kopa, the title given to the best U21 player voted by the French magazine France Football, and the Golden Boy - the award given to the best U21 player in Europe.
