A couple of familiar faces will be on the pitch when Barcelona take on Feyenoord in the Champions League on Wednesday. The two clubs have shared some legends over the years, including Ronald Koeman, Johann Cruyff, and Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Now a manager, van Bronckhorst will be on the touchline on Wednesday for the Eredivisie side.
There will be another ex-Barça player on the pitch on Wednesday. Mika Mármol may not be well-known amongst Barcelona fans, having left the club in 2022. The defender, then 21, had made just one solitary appearance for Barcelona, replacing Alejandro Balde in May 2022 in a 0-0 draw with Getafe under Xavi.
With minutes looking unlikely, Mármol made the decision to leave Barcelona, signing for Gerard Piqué's FC Andorra in the summer of 2022. It immediately paid off. He stepped up as a center-back, playing all but two matches in the Segunda División as Andorra surprisingly finished seventh. In the summer, he joined newly promoted Las Palmas in La Liga, with Barcelona retaining 50% of a sell-on.
Mármol spent two seasons in the top flight with Las Palmas, and, despite eventual relegation, quickly emerged as one of the most promising young defenders in La Liga. After spending last season in the Segunda after relegation, Mármol left on a free transfer. Several top clubs were linked, and there were even rumors of potential Barcelona interest, but instead he headed to the Netherlands, signing for Feyenoord.
Feyenoord finished second in the league last season, behind only PSV Eindhoven. This summer, van Bronckhorst was hired, and Feyenoord immediately set about adding more Spanish influence. Alongside Mármol, Javi López was brought in on loan from Real Sociedad after a strong season with Real Oviedo. Nacho Ferri, a 21-year-old Spanish striker, was also signed from Belgian side KVC Westerlo.
It's early days, but Mármol's decision to head to Rotterdam is looking like a good one. He's played every minute of Feyenoord's first five league games, with the club yet to lose in the Eredivisie. Mármol has mainly featured on the left this season, ahead of López, but has played at center-back as well and looked comfortable in both.
Barcelona will be, without a doubt, his toughest test so far. Mármol is again expected to start on the left, and he will have the tall task of marking Lamine Yamal. However, the Catalan defender will certainly relish his return to the Camp Nou and will get the chance to show Hansi Flick's side what they are missing.
Add us as a preferred source on Google