For some while now, seasoned football watchers have, arguably unfairly, christened Marc Bernal as the new Sergio Busquets.
It appears that, for whatever reason, young players coming through have to be compared to those who’ve gone before.
Pedri is the new Andres Iniesta, Lamine Yamal is the new Lionel Messi… yada yada.
It’s with these sorts of comparisons that many young players are destined to fail, or at least never to live up to the pressure being placed upon their shoulders.
In any event, new Busquets or not, Bernal has the opportunity to finally cement his place in Barca’s first team, owing to the injury to Frenkie de Jong.
At present, no one knows if the Dutchman is going to be out for weeks or months, but what is clear is that he’ll miss the start of the 2026/27 campaign.
Bernal showed his class in flashes last season, and while the data will show he made 33 appearances, he only started 15 of those games and played a cumulative 1,313 minutes across all competitions.
He still managed more goals than De Jong, who played more than double his colleague’s minutes, though the Dutchman’s willingness to burst forward and help the attack ensured that his chance creation and pass completion stats far exceeded Bernal’s.
Hansi Flick has the luxury of having a number of players who could do a job in the defensive midfield role of course, including Eric Garcia, Gavi and Andreas Christensen. However, Bernal is the most natural fit.
Barcelona’s Spanish midfielder #22 Marc Bernal and Atletico Madrid’s Argentine forward #19 Julian Alvarez fight for the ball during the Copa del Rey (King’s Cup) semi final second leg football match between FC Barcelona and Club Atletico de Madrid at Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona on March 3, 2026. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP via Getty Images)
At 19 years of age, he’s still on the young side to be holding a position in the side of such responsibility, but De Jong’s absence finally affords Flick the opportunity to throw Bernal in there and see how he copes.
More minutes equals a better rhythm, and one can surmise that the youngster’s natural game will only continue to develop on that basis.
For many culers, Bernal has certainly shown enough to be given a chance to prove he has what it takes, and if he does just that, don’t be surprised to see De Jong kept waiting for his chance to get back in the starting XI.