The WhatsApp message that changed the course of Fermín’s career

Fermín’s path to the FC Barcelona first team is far from the typical La Masia story. Although he joined the club as a child from Real Betis and always stood out for his talent and technical quality, he never truly broke through in Barcelona’s youth system. There was a constant internal debate about whether he had the physical attributes needed to become a top flight player. As happened with Carles Puyol under Louis van Gaal or Pedro Rodríguez under Pep Guardiola, sometimes all it takes is a bold coach and a stroke of luck to change a player’s destiny. That moment came for Fermín with Xavi Hernández.

When the Terrassa native took over on the Camp Nou bench in November 2021, Fermín was not considered a realistic candidate to reach the first team. At that time, he was not even a regular starter for the Juvenil squad. In Xavi’s early months in charge, Fermín was called up one day to train with the senior team alongside other fringe players. Despite his slight frame, his talent immediately caught the attention of the coach and his staff.

A few months later, however, Fermín was sent out on loan to Linares. He was not part of the club’s plans, not even for Barça Atlètic, and he was nowhere near the shortlist of players expected to make the leap to the first team. In Andalusia, he began to grow, gaining confidence and becoming an undisputed starter at Linares, far from Barcelona’s spotlight and largely off the radar of the club’s youth coaches.

Then came a turning point. One day, Xavi received a WhatsApp message from an old acquaintance, an Andalusian named Domingo who would occasionally send him olive oil from Jaén. In that message, Domingo alerted Xavi to the outstanding season Fermín was having at Linares and reminded him that he was still a Barcelona player.

That voice note changed everything. As soon as he heard it, Xavi immediately remembered the young player he had only seen train once but who had already shown something special. He quickly instructed his staff to begin closely monitoring Fermín. During the second half of the season at Linares, he stood out above the rest, became the team’s top scorer, and displayed the qualities that are now widely recognized.

Even after that loan spell, Fermín was still not part of Barcelona’s plans. The club was considering a transfer or another loan move. But Xavi, who had been tracking his progress thanks to Domingo’s tip, decided to include him among the academy players invited to begin preseason training ahead of the United States tour.

It took Fermín just one training session to convince Xavi. After the first internal preseason match, the coach was impressed. “Did you notice Fermín? He does everything right, understands the game, uses both feet…,” he told his staff afterward. Although Fermín was not originally on the list for the U.S. trip, Xavi insisted on taking him. He joined the tour and, just days later, made his debut against Arsenal, becoming the first academy player to get minutes. In the following match against Real Madrid, he scored a stunning goal, provided an assist, and introduced himself to the world.

The rest is now well known. Without that message from Domingo, the olive oil man, and Xavi’s keen eye, it is impossible to know what would have become of Fermín López’s career.