CHAPTER 70 — "THE NEW NO. 10"
Date: September 20, 2023
Árman Azevedo — Age: 13
Club: FC Barcelona (First Team)
Competition: La Liga (Pre‑season / Training Phase)
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Barcelona's senior training ground shimmered in the early Catalan sunshine — a place where legends walked, tactics were sacred, and technical purity was expected. This morning, something extraordinary was about to unfold.
Today wasn't a youth debut.
It wasn't a trial.
It was Barça's senior first‑team session.
And the world was already watching.
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ARRIVAL — The Boy Who Broke Categories
A sleek black car pulled up at the training entrance.
Out stepped a boy.
White hair gently gleaming.
Golden eyes calm and focused.
A posture that said I belong here — not I was invited.
Árman Azevedo.
13 years old.
Already rewriting the definition of genius.
Because here, at Barcelona, youth progression was linear.
But Árman was not linear.
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DUAL CITIZENSHIP — NO HURDLES
Unlike many South American talents, registering him was smooth.
He held dual citizenship — Spain and Brazil — thanks to his parents.
No work permits.
No federation blocks.
No youth category bottlenecks.
Barcelona signed him straight into the senior roster.
Because development isn't about age.
It's about impact.
And he had already proven he could impact the game.
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FIRST GLANCES — WHO'S ON THE PITCH
Senior players were warming up, stretching, jogging, starting their drills — and then they saw him walk on:
Goalkeeper
Marc‑André ter Stegen — calm, methodical, communicates constantly
Defenders
Jules Koundé — intelligent, rapid decision maker
Ronald Araújo — imposing physical presence
Eric García — intelligent distributor from the back
Alejandro Balde — lightning pace left back
Midfield
Frenkie de Jong — fluid mover, tempo controller
Pedri González — vision that unlocks defenses
Sergio Busquets — world‑class anchor and cerebral axis
Yamal — young creative winger with flair
Attack
Robert Lewandowski — clinical striker, veteran leader
Raphinha — tricky wide forward
This was the cast of professionals he would train with every day.
Most names were established first‑team fixtures — tactical maestros and match winners.
And here he was — the anomaly.
Not smaller. Not timid. Not less evolved.
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FIRST GREETINGS — NO PRESSURE, JUST PRESENCE
Walking onto the main pitch, Árman offered polite greetings:
> "Hola. Estoy feliz de estar aquí."
(Hello. I'm happy to be here.)
His Spanish was refined — not affected.
Just confident.
Pedri, locking eyes with him briefly, grinned:
> "Welcome. Don't worry — we play football here. Come create."
Yamal walked up next, curious and respectful:
> "So you're the No. 10 everyone's talking about?"
Árman smiled:
"I just want to play."
No arrogance.
Just clarity.
Barcelona noticed instantly.
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COACH XAVI — FIRST INSTRUCTIONS
Coach Xavi Hernández, a midfield genius who once wore number 6 for Barcelona, addressed the group:
> "Today we integrate Árman with the squad. Full focus. Respect the structure. If he touches the ball, play — not panic. Football is speed of thought, not panic."
There was no special treatment.
Just acknowledgment.
Árman's reputation preceded him — now it was about actual execution.
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WARM‑UP — FIRST TOUCHES IN BLUE AND RED
Ball circles.
Passing routines.
Quick triangles.
Árman's first touches were quiet but perfect.
Not loud.
Not showy.
Just functional excellence.
The senior players noticed:
> "That first touch never lies."
"It's impossible to disrupt his balance."
"Look at how he opens his hips before scanning the field."
No rookie tendencies.
Only precision.
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TACTICAL BRIEFING
Xavi outlined the drill:
> "We'll do an 11v11 fluid pattern, 4‑3‑3. Árman, integrate centrally. Don't hesitate. You have space to create — but this group plays as one."
Frenkie nodded at Árman from midfield.
Pedri offered a thumbs‑up.
Busquets simply said:
> "Control it. Play the tempo."
That was permission.
Not praise.
Just recognition.
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FIRST SCRIMMAGE — SENIOR TEAM INTENSITY
Barça's veterans vs. Barça's mixed XI.
The first real touch of senior intensity hit him.
Sharper pressing.
Less space.
Faster decisions required.
But Árman didn't slow down.
He solved patterns:
Receives under pressure
One touch to open space
Two touches to split lines
Vertical pass slicing through midblock
Senior defenders tried to trap him.
He didn't panic.
He anticipated.
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THE FIRST GOAL MOMENT
In the 14th minute:
Frenkie collects the ball deep.
Sees space but is closed down.
One glance — and there's a lane.
He threads it forward.
Árman meets it in stride.
One touch to bring it down.
Another to dodge a sliding tackle.
Then—
Left foot, curling shot.
Goal.
Not loud.
Not frantic.
Just clinical.
The sidelines reacted:
> "Incredible."
"He's serious."
"That's senior‑level technique."
While Barça fans nearby simply whispered:
> "He's 13…"
The weight of that sentence rippled through the session.
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SECOND HALF — FULL DOMINANCE
Barcelona switched formations mid‑session:
4‑3‑3
4‑2‑4
3‑4‑3 for overloads
Árman adapted instantly:
Deep-lying playmaker on one phase
No. 10 pulling defenders apart in the next
Wide support to combine with Yamal
His vision wasn't reactive.
It was anticipatory.
Six sequences later:
• A no‑look through ball split the defense
• Yamal scored a perfect finish
• Lewandowski applauded the assist
• The bench was talking
Not about age.
Not about potential.
But about right now.
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COACH XAVI'S VERDICT (POST TRAINING)
In the technical area:
> "He sees patterns not yet fully formed. This isn't raw talent. This is conceptual control of the game."
Assistant coach nodded:
> "At 13, he controls tempo like a seasoned veteran."
No shock.
Just fact.
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THE PLAYERS — REALIZATION SINKS IN
Pedri, walking alongside him, said:
> "You don't play football the way we teach it. You play it the way it happens."
Yamal grinned:
> "So… you're Number 10 already, yeah?"
Árman smiled quietly:
> "I'm going to be one with the team."
No boastful ego.
Just truth.
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ENDING — A NEW ERA IN BARCELONA
That evening, Barça's official channels released images:
Árman training with the first team
Side‑by‑side with Pedri and Frenkie
Number 10 on his training bib
Fans didn't just react.
They erupted.
Hashtags trended:
> #Árman10
#BarçaGenius
#NewEraBegins
The football world didn't whisper anymore.
It shouted.
Árman Azevedo — age 13 — had stepped directly into senior football.
Not as a curiosity.
Not as a future potential.
But as a present reality.
And just like that…
Barça's pitch gained a new dimension.
One governed by genius, maturity, and calm intelligence.