Marc Casado was not supposed to be here.
The 21-year-old midfielder announced himself to the footballing world with two fine performances in Barcelona’s dream week, in which they beat Bayern Munich 4-1 and then Real Madrid 4-0.
He has starred in holding midfield, dominating elite opposition and becoming a fan favourite in Catalonia after an outstanding start to the season. It’s even more remarkable given that he was leaning towards an exit from his boyhood club towards the end of the previous one.
Casado was not given many first-team opportunities under Barca’s previous manager Xavi, who was still hoping the club would sign him a new holding midfielder and also wanted to keep the 32-year-old veteran Sergi Roberto, who can play in that position, for a further year. Aware that Barcelona were open to letting Casado go this summer, his camp started exploring possible options.
That 2023-24 season had ended in tears for Casado. He was the captain of Barcelona Atletic, the club’s second team formerly known as Barca B, who reached the play-off final for promotion to Spain’s second tier. But they lost 2-1 away to Cordoba, meaning a 3-2 loss on aggregate, and he couldn’t hold back the tears in a post-match interview with Catalan television station TV3.
“I want to apologise to the fans, but we just gave it all and tried it our way, that’s all I can say,” Casado said.
🙌 Sense ascens, però “orgullosos, ben orgullosos”
👉 Oi, Marc Casadó?
📲 https://t.co/EugP2B4Y04 pic.twitter.com/63O5YMPitb
— Esport3 (@esport3) June 23, 2024
As stated above, at that time, his future was unclear. But Xavi’s sacking in May had opened up a path to him staying. Sporting director Deco’s decision not to extend Roberto’s expiring contract in favour of promoting prospects from Barca’s La Masia academy also helped his case. But the real turning point came when he started working under new manager Hansi Flick.
Casado shone in pre-season and became an extension of the German’s methods on the pitch — a role he continues to play.
You can see Flick calling to him from the touchline in every game, then waiting for Casado to relay his instructions to the team. His leadership and vocal personality have given Flick the perfect way to connect with the younger generation in the dressing room. Casado has a big influence on those players and it’s given him the confidence to reach performance levels nobody could have expected.
His chance in holding midfield partly came about due to injuries suffered by Netherlands international Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal, a 17-year-old fellow La Masia graduate who was initially preferred by Flick in that role until he suffered a season-ending knee injury in late August.
Casado was used in a number of positions at the start of the season — including as a No 8 against Valencia, Getafe and Alaves — and first started as a holding midfielder against Real Valladolid on August 31 (the opposition stayed so deep that day his position appears more advanced than you’d expect on the below graphic) and has settled into that role since Bernal’s injury.
His performance in the Clasico last Saturday summed up his importance. He only played 65 minutes but still finished as the player with the second-most completed passes (57). He also registered 17 defensive actions, second-most of anyone on the pitch.
Casado was clearly instructed to be one of the team’s first points of contact in the inside channels, as we can see from his average positions map below. But he was also tasked with moving play out to the wings — often connecting with left winger Raphinha and left-back Alejandro Balde.
At half-time, with the game still goalless, Flick decided it was time to bring on De Jong. Casado was the obvious candidate to be replaced, having been booked for a foul on Vinicius Junior, but Flick had no doubt about keeping him on. Fermin Lopez came off instead.
It was an intelligent decision. Eight minutes into the second half, Casado provided the pass that broke El Clasico open, progressing from deep before bypassing Madrid’s midfield and defence with an inch-perfect ball for Robert Lewandowski to open the scoring.
It wasn’t the first time we’d seen Casado produce a pass like that — he arguably provided an even better assist for Pedri in the 4-1 win against Girona this season. And it’s those kinds of actions that show why he is much more than a tidy midfielder.
Flick wants him to be constantly busy in his system: Casado has received more passes than any other La Liga midfielder this season per 90 minutes played (60.6), while only three midfielders (Ivan Martin of Girona, Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde and Pedri) have been more involved in sequences leading to goals than his six.
Only five La Liga midfielders have a higher passing accuracy than his figure of 90.6 per cent. We can see from his passing sonar below that he generally keeps things short and safe going backwards, but he’s also happy to play longer balls out to the flanks or search for that incisive forward pass.
“Casado is just incredible,” Flick told reporters last week after the Bayern game. “If you knew where he comes from and see how he plays now, his level and everything he’s improved on… He is so good defensively, but also on the ball. He is so willing to get better and learn all the time. Excellent mentality: a pure La Masia product.”
Casado’s path to the Barcelona first team has been anything but quick. He joined them from local side Damm in 2016 and became part of a La Masia generation led by current RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons. At times, there have been doubts about his physical growth — he’s never been the tallest (5ft 8in/172cm) — but has overcome them with his perseverance.
He spent two full seasons with Barca Atletic, something players don’t do that often nowadays as they expect to rise to senior football more quickly. There, he formed a close bond with Atletic’s manager, the legendary Barca and Mexico defender Rafa Marquez who is now on the coaching staff for his homeland’s national team.
“If I am where I am now, it is thanks in large part to Rafa Marquez,” Casado told reporters in a post-match mixed zone last month. “He gave me his undisputed trust and advised me on how to be a better footballer and person. In that department, he made me realise the importance of working on yourself outside of the football pitch too. I will be thankful to him my whole life for this.”
Those words were fondly received by Marquez, who replied on social media.
“As a manager, one of the things you value the most is the gratitude received and seeing how you can help a player to progress,” he wrote on X. “Casado is a clear example of an absolute professional, from head to toe. Congratulations! I’m so happy with his performances.”
Ahora como entrenador, de las cosas que valoras más es el agradecimiento y la ayuda a evolucionar al jugador, Casado es un claro ejemplo de un jugador profesional de los pies a la cabeza !!bravo!! Feliz por su rendimiento!! #4ctitud https://t.co/lN9jwQvkg5
— Rafa Marquez (@RafaMarquezMX) October 24, 2024
With more and more players becoming impatient about their game time, Casado has reminded everyone it’s still possible to be patient and succeed.
Lamine Yamal is rightly held up as La Masia’s crown jewel and has become an aspirational figure for every kid playing in Barca’s youth ranks — but he isn’t the norm. The 17-year-old is a generational talent, the kind that doesn’t come around very often, with potential that can barely be replicated by anyone.
Casado is a more realistic example of a footballer’s path, with struggles, doubts, an important role played by coincidence and a faith in Barcelona’s footballing philosophy and how it could help his skill set.
Now, he’s living the dream.
For Barcelona and their La Masia brand, that is to be celebrated.
(Top photo: Pedro Salado/Getty Images)
