The Club World Cup is a unique stage to survey talent from across the globe. It has been a humbling experience for European fans who might have felt that their continent could trample all over the rest of the competition. For one of the semi-finalists, it has unearthed a possible diamond in the rough.
Kylian Mbappe missed the first three matches of the tournament with a stomach bug, for which he required hospital treatment. The forward then came on in the second half of the two knockout rounds and opened his account in the competition with an acrobatic effort against Borussia Dortmund.
In his absence, Xabi Alonso has entrusted minutes to Gonzalo Garcia. The 21-year-old, who has mostly plied his trade for Castilla, had little expectation, but has seized his chance with both hands.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente allowed his feelings to be known about the forward and his future.
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‘The most important is not to rush into things’
The forward scored the first goal of the Alonso era in a 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal and the final strike in a 3-0 win over Red Bull Salzburg to seal the top spot in their group. In the Round of 16, he netted the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Juventus, and he also began the scoring against the Schwarzgelben.
With those four goals, he is the joint top scorer in the Club World Cup. Three other players have matched his tally, but none of them are still in with a shot to win the trophy. His feats have thrust him into the limelight, but de la Fuente feels that people should not demand too much of him too quickly.
“He’s building belief he could be a player with a future. The most important thing is not to rush into things or get carried away by immediate performances. He has not even played much in La Liga yet.”
Garcia has barely made anything of a club career in the men's game. He was first part of a matchday squad in La Liga for Los Blancos in September 2023 and played twice in the 2023/24 season. Only three more appearances followed, and he has not managed to hit the back of the net in the league.
Alvaro Morata might be an elder statesman, but his leadership is valuable for the manager in the dressing room. Garcia is also in line behind Mikel Oyarzabal, who has thrived as a central forward for La Roja, and Samu, who has stood out as a striker for Porto with 27 goals in all competitions.
“What we have to do is give each player their moment. There’s plenty of time until the next call-up.”
The key takeaway from the 64-year-old is Garcia has gone only on the first few steps of his journey.
“You have to earn the chance and the right to occupy a place in a fantastic national team, where there are some wonderful, very high-level players with a fantastic career. You have to earn it, but of course I encourage him. I celebrate his performance. He is another player who joins this cause.”
La Roja are one of the most exciting countries on the circuit. With their talisman, Lamine Yamal, still only 17 years of age, the Spanish have seen many youthful players perform at the highest level and get their big break with a man who worked in the youth ranks of the federation for almost a decade.
It has been his pride and joy to blood new talent into the first team. If the forward, who represented the U18 and U19 sides 13 times between 2021 and 2023, continues on the same trajectory, it might only be a matter of time until he is in the same conversations as the other Spanish stars of tomorrow.
“I hope that there are many more Gonzalos, many Dean Huijsens and many Pau Cubarsis.”
