Anthony Gordon's Impressive Barcelona Debut
Anthony Gordon needed only 45 minutes to remind everyone why Barcelona pushed so hard to get him.
A week before the La Liga champions open their title defence at Elche, the former Newcastle United forward finally pulled on the Barça shirt for the first time, starting in a 5-2 friendly win over Basel. It was unofficial, it was pre-season, but in Spain it was treated as a small event in itself: the debut of the man signed to replace Marcus Rashford at Camp Nou.
A new face in a new front three
Gordon arrived in Catalonia off the back of a ruthless season with Newcastle: 17 goals in 46 games, and a stunning 10 in 12 in the Champions League. He also came late. England’s World Cup run meant his first minutes under Hansi Flick had to wait until mid-August.
Flick threw him straight into the XI, lining him up on the flank in a front three with Raphinha through the middle and fellow new signing Karim Adeyemi on the opposite side. Basel may only be a pre-season opponent, but this was the first glimpse of what Flick is building.
Barcelona ran out 5-2 winners, with Adeyemi, Hamza Abdelkarim, Lamine Yamal and a brace from Jesse Bisiwu on the scoresheet. Gordon didn’t find the net. He didn’t need to to make an impression.
‘Game-changer’ verdict from Sport
In Barcelona, the first judgements came quickly.
Sport handed Gordon a 7 out of 10 and, crucially, labelled him a “Game-changer”. The paper highlighted how he “started very brightly”, immediately catching the eye with his bursts of acceleration and willingness to drive at defenders.
They picked out his work without the ball as much as with it. Gordon “works hard off the ball”, they wrote, noting how he pressed and knitted play together with his new teammates rather than drifting on the fringes. For a player walking into a side already stacked with attacking talent, that detail matters.
The tempo did drop. Sport acknowledged that he “lost steam and influence” towards the end of the first half, hardly a shock for someone short of pre-season minutes after an international summer. Their only real criticism was the missing goal – the one thing, they said, that stopped it being “a brilliant debut”.
Mundo Deportivo: a “real buzz” and a “mixed bag”
If Sport focused on the numbers, Mundo Deportivo captured the mood. This was a night, they said, that “satisfied fans’ curiosity” more than anything else. Gordon and Adeyemi both started, both under the microscope, both trying to show why Barcelona have entrusted them with the wide areas.
There was, the paper claimed, a “real buzz” around Gordon’s first outing. His performance was described as a “mixed bag”, but the positives clearly outweighed the rough edges.
Like Sport, they saw a player who “started brightly” and “changed pace down the wing”, repeatedly stretching Basel’s back line. He didn’t just hug the touchline, either. Mundo Deportivo highlighted his willingness to attack the byline, swap positions with Raphinha – who operated as a kind of false nine – and offer different angles of attack.
The conclusion was clear: this was “a taste of what awaits Barca fans”.
AS: signs of Flick’s Barcelona taking shape
AS zoomed out a little more, using Gordon’s debut to talk about the wider project under Flick. With several key players short of pre-season minutes, the German coach is still “fine-tuning” his side. Even so, the paper felt this was a night when the team “began to take shape”.
“The new signings shone,” AS wrote, grouping Gordon with Adeyemi and two-goal Bisiwu as the main protagonists. Gordon, in particular, was described as one of two “very sharp” wingers, repeatedly delivering “dangerous crosses” into the box.
There was one caveat. The front three, led by Raphinha, still lacked “clinical finishing and a cutting edge”. The movement, though, impressed them. AS suggested the fluid interchanges between the trio “can be a very effective weapon” once the season starts and the fitness levels rise.
A statement without a goal
So the first Spanish verdict on Anthony Gordon is in: no goal, no assist, but no doubt about the impact.
He showed pace, work rate, and a willingness to adapt to Flick’s demands. He linked with Raphinha, combined with Adeyemi, and carried the look of a player who can change the rhythm of a game in an instant.
For Newcastle fans, this was a reminder of what they’ve lost. For Barcelona, it was the first real hint of what they might gain.
Next up: Elche, the real thing, and a much harsher spotlight. If this was only the warm-up, what happens when Gordon hits full speed?
