BARCELONA, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 16: A general view inside the stadium as both teams shake hands before the LaLiga EA Sports 2026/27 match between FC Barcelona and Real Racing Club de Santander at Spotify Camp Nou on September 16, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
The home crowd in attendance at Barcelona’s La Liga meeting with Racing Santander on Wednesday made use of the opportunity to showcase their support for defensive star Alejandro Balde.
This of course comes amid what has been a challenging opening to the new campaign for the Spaniard.
After enduring a largely difficult term from an individual standpoint in 2025/26, Balde was heavily linked with a Barcelona exit throughout the summer.
In the end, the 22-year-old stayed put, but manager Hansi Flick has since made clear that Balde sits well down the left-back pecking order in his squad.
As things stand, both summer signing João Cancelo and breakout youngster Xavi Espart are considered as being ahead of Balde when it comes to Barca’s first-choice XI.
With the Catalans cruising towards another three-point haul at the expense of Racing Santander on Wednesday, though, Flick threw his struggling full-back a lifeline.
After João Cancelo was on target to the tune of a brace, Balde was introduced in place of the Portuguese, for his first appearance of the season all told.
And as alluded to above, those in attendance at the Camp Nou from here quickly threw their backing behind their side’s one-time defensive prodigy, loudly chanting Balde’s name in unison.
“Balde, Balde”, canta el Camp Nou
Y él aplaude agradeciendo el cariño
Mendes dijo el lunes por la noche: “estará bien en el futuro, no te preocupes”
Pues hoy está un poquito más feliz tras debutar esta temporada y en casa pic.twitter.com/NpIc5JS5Ag
— Víctor Navarro (@victor_nahe) September 16, 2026
Conor Laird – GSFN