WHAT HAPPENED? Lopez, who was promoted to the senior team this season, has played rather frequently off the bench for Xavi this year, clocking over 250 minutes across seven appearances, an average of 35 minutes per game. The midfielder was evasive when questioned about his plans for the future, however, he did acknowledge that he would like to stay at Barcelona indefinitely.
WHAT THEY SAID: “I want to stay at Barça forever,” he said [via Barca Universal]. “Man, I would like to be in the first team, to continue here. I hope I can always be here, but hey, you never know. It is the best club in the world and every year the best come. You never know.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Xavi’s Barca has seen an influx of youngsters since the Spaniard’s takeover with the likes of Gavi, Pedri, Alejandro Balde, Ronald Araujo, Pablo Torre, Nico Gonzalez and, now, Lopez playing a major role in the development of the squad that won La Liga with the youngest average age in the league.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
WHAT NEXT? Lopez is currently involved with the Spanish U-21 side and they play Kazakhastan on Tuesday, October 17 in the qualifiers for the U-21 Euros.