On July 27, 2023, the 21-year-old midfielder debuted for Barcelona in a friendly match against Arsenal in the US to prepare for the new season. At that time, Coach Xavi put Fermin Lopez on the field to replace Ilkay Gundogan. Nearly a year later, on July 24, 2024, Fermin made his debut at the Olympic arena when he and Spain U23 defeated Uzbekistan U23. In the 2023-2024 season, Fermin returned to the Barcelona first team, appearing in a total of 31 matches in La Liga and contributing 8 goals. Not only that, the 21-year-old midfielder also left his mark with extremely bold and highly unusual dribbles.
After what he showed, Fermin was summoned by Spain Head Coach Luis de la Fuente to attend EURO 2024. Although he did not have many opportunities to play or shine as brightly as his junior Lamine Yamal, this was still a A memorable journey with Fermin.
After winning EURO 2024 with Spain , the 21-year-old midfielder continued to fight at the 2024 Paris Olympics. And this is the moment when the whole world must mention the name Fermin.
The Barcelona midfielder shined brightly with 4 goals, including a double against Japan U23 in the quarterfinals. More specifically, both of Fermin's goals that day were long-range shots from outside the penalty area. In the semi-final match against U23 Morocco, it was Fermin who initiated the impressive comeback of Spain U23. In the final match, within just 7 minutes (minutes 18 and 25), Fermin Lopez scored 2 consecutive goals that not only equalized but also contributed to defeating the team led by coach Thierry Henry. This 21-year-old midfielder played extremely well, both as a bridge and as a "set-up" for his teammates with razor-sharp passes just like Lamine Yamal did at EURO.
It is no exaggeration to say that the 21-year-old midfielder is one of the best players at the 2024 Olympic men's soccer .
Albert Rust, former France goalkeeper, is the only player to ever win the EURO and the Olympic Gold Medal in the same year (1984). And now, a 23-year-old young man, who once considered quitting football, has repeated that achievement.
There was a time when Fermin felt doubtful about his own abilities and his chances of joining Barcelona's first team. The midfielder even considered leaving his hometown team to go to a new country, like the previous case of Dani Olmo.
Olmo was also a talent at La Masia but struggled in many different teams. Nearly 10 years later, Olmo is preparing to reunite with the Blaugrana after playing impressively at EURO 2024, previously with Leipzig.
However, Fermin was luckier than Olmo when Xavi led Barcelona, a strategist who especially focused on young talents. Of course, the most important thing is still the tireless efforts of the 21-year-old midfielder.
After shining and helping Spain U23 defeat France U23 in the final, Fermin's career truly turned a new page...
