Pablo Martin Paez Gavira, popularly known as Gavi has been a revelation for Barcelona. The La Masia graduate isn’t a typical Barcelona player.
Like previous La Masia graduates such as Iniesta, Busquets, and Xavi, who were known for their Cerebral understanding of the game, Gavi is more renowned for his aggression and never give up attitude.
The Spaniard’s belligerence is well known on the pitch but recently his punk attitude outside the pitch has been gaining attention as well.
La Masia graduates seem to have Barcelona in their DNA, as their love for the Club is very visible. A recent example of that has been Gavi’s unguardedness, at last year’s Ballon d’Or gala where he won the Kopa trophy for the best young player in the world.
The new season of Barcelona’s new documentary series, “New Era”, was released on Amazon Prime. In one of the episodes, the focus was on Gavi’s win in the Ballon d’Or gala.
Just before taking the stage, Gavi sought advice from a press officer regarding the closing words for his acceptance speech. ” When I finish, I can say, ‘Força Barça, right?” he inquired.
“It’s better that you don’t,” the press officer responded. “And what if I say ‘Visca el Barça’?”, Gavi asked again. ” No, better not,” they cautioned.
Undeterred, Gavi ascended the stage to receive the award. How did he wrap up his speech? “Thank you very much, Viva Barça!”
Sums up Gavi’s anti-authoritarian attitude.
What’s wrong with saying Visca El Barca?
Gavi’s remiss in saying Visca El Barca has brought up some debate on Reddit. The moot point is what exactly is wrong with saying your club’s name at an award ceremony? The answer is, it’s all in the context.
At an award ceremony, saying Visca El Barca might not sound right. It’s similar to saying “Viva America” at the Oscars said one fan. However, saying the same thing at a Barca award ceremony is completely different, as the context changes completely.
Since the major issue is about whether saying something is appropriate or not, most fans think it’s totally acceptable as football is all about loyalty and passion for one’s club, and ending your speech with your club’s name is totally appropriate and any possible analogy drawn between a club and a country isn’t a rational one.
Someone with Gavi’s mindset won’t be much distracted by such a thing. The Spanish International recently played his 100th match for Barcelona while still being a teenager, becoming the youngest player to achieve such a feat.
Moreover, he is nominated again for the Kopa trophy alongside his teammates Pedri and Balde, and if he wins again, we might see another article like this next year.
