Barcelona name two surprise youngsters in Champions League ‘A’ squad

Barcelona have opted to include B team players Gerard Martin and Unai Hernandez on their Champions League ‘A’ list this season.

UEFA rules dictate a club can have an ‘A’ squad with a maximum of 25 players, eight of which must be ‘locally trained’. That isn’t an issue for Barcelona, whose first-team squad in La Liga totals just 22 players due to the strain on the club’s finances, with many of them products of La Masia.

The ‘B’ list is for players born on or after 1 January 2003 and who have been with the club for at least two consecutive years – or three with a maximum of one domestic loan period. There are no limits to how many players can be registered per season and it can be updated every matchday.

Martin, who joined Barca B from Catalan club Cornella in 2023 is already too old for the ‘B’ list. The defender has not yet established himself in the first-team, making one La Liga appearance so far this season, but was born in 2002 and celebrated his 22nd birthday earlier this year.

Hernandez is only 19 and joined from Girona in 2022. He scored ten goals from midfield in 38 appearances for Barca B last season and is now vice-captain of the reserve side. He has never played a competitive first-team game but was involved with the senior squad during pre-season.

Unai Hernandez is yet to make a first-team appearance / Pedro Salado/GettyImages

Barcelona have otherwise named 11 players on their ‘B’ list ahead of matchday one against Monaco later this month. They are goalkeepers Ander Astralaga and Diego Kochen, defenders Sergi Dominguez, Alexis Olmedo, Andres Cuenca and Hector Fort, midfielders Aleix Garrido, Pau Prim, Quim Junyent and forward Antonio Fernandez. Marc Bernal is also named, despite suffering what is likely to be a season-ending knee injury last month that still requires surgery.

Goalkeepers: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Inaki Pena

Defenders: Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Balde, Ronald Araujo, Inigo Martinez, Andreas Christensen, Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Gerard Martin.

Midfielders: Gavi, Pedri, Pablo Torre, Fermin Lopez, Marc Casado, Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong, Unai Hernandez.

Forwards: Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski, Ansu Fati, Raphinha, Pau Victor, Lamine Yamal.

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