When Fermín López (El Campillo, 2003) left his house, he was always accompanied by a ball at his feet. Nobody took it from him. His older brother, Juan Antonio, was the one who received all the pipes and the people of El Campillo, a small municipality in the province of Huelva with just 2,000 inhabitants, baptized him as ‘El Messi de El Campillo’. His parents, Lola and Fermín, did not hesitate to sign him up to play soccer. And when he was eight years old, Fermín started playing for Recreativo de Huelva. Four years later, Betis signed him and he remained for four seasons in the lower categories of the Verdiblanco club.

But Fermín, who sympathizes with Betis by family tradition, also listened a lot to his uncle, a culé who infected him with his Barcelona. “I’ve been a culé since I was little and my dream is to succeed here,” he assured after fulfilling his dream at A

Fermín’s dream began in the summer of 2016. Barça, immersed in compliance with the FIFA sanction that prevented it from signing foreign players for its grassroots soccer, needed national soccer players. That summer, 54 national players arrived to reinforce the cadet, infantile, juvenile and youngest teams. One of them was Fermín López.

The then manager of La Masia, Jordi Roura, noticed him in a juvenile tournament that was held in Tarragona. He was impressed by the technical quality of a stylish attacking midfielder. And he made her a proposition. Fermín did not think about it. At the age of 15, he packed his bags, separated from his long-awaited family and changed El Campillo for La Masia. There he coincided with Alejandro Balde who on tour praised his talent. “I know him very well. He is working a lot, ”said the left-back, placing his friend in the group of young people who have surprised him the most. Pedro did too. “He has grit and a lot of talent,” said the canary.

Fermín’s adaptation was not easy. He earned the nickname “Fermín el pequeñín” because he physically did not evolve at the same rate as the rest of his teammates and rivals. But technically he was overflowing with talent, so that although he was not a starter neither in his childhood nor in his two years as a cadet, at the end of the course the technical management of the club always bet on his continuity. They were convinced that he would explode.

When he arrived at Rafa Márquez’s subsidiary, the club recommended that he go on loan to grow. Far from being demoralized, he joined Linares FC, a team from the 1st RFEF. He returned to his beloved Andalusia and embroidered it. Undisputed starter with Alberto González, Fermín became his team’s top scorer with 12 goals and four assists in his locker. He will never stand out for his height (1.76) but he has managed to strengthen his lower body and at 20 years old, those who know him assure that he is prepared in every way for great challenges. His work, talent and attitude were his passport to return to Barcelona.

He was not scheduled to travel on the tour. In fact, his name was not among those chosen before the preseason began. But Xavi tested him in training, convinced him and decided to call him up for the tour, making him the only youth player to have traveled and made his debut with the first team without having previously done so with Barça Atlètic. “In the staff we do not have complexes. If you train well we count on you. We have seen him loose. I think he can help us throughout the season. He has talent and last pass, which is what we lacked a little bit last year. He also has a shot from outside the area and dominates both legs. Despite being 20 years old, he has personality, ”said Xavi Hernández, who greatly appreciates Fermín’s calm character. Although at La Masia he always played as a winger or false nine, the Barcelona coach fits more as an interior.

Then came the match against Arsenal. Fermín played 20 minutes and was one of the few who received Xavi’s pleasure. In the Dallas classic against Real Madrid, he came on again in the 65th minute to replace Pedri. And he crowned himself by scoring 2-0. “Sergi Roberto gave me the ball. He was alone in the front and I hit the ball with my soul. I still can’t believe it”, explained the young footballer, very excited after beating the imposing Courtois with his left foot. He didn’t have enough. Then he looked for Ferran Torres and assisted him so that the man from Foios finished off the result with the third goal. “I am living a dream. I don’t believe what has happened. I want to stay here. The colleagues are helping me a lot. I must continue working ”, he declared. And he went to call his family. “This is for them. They have lived through it all, the good and the bad, ”he declared. Yesterday Fermín stopped being the little one to suddenly grow up in the immense Dallas.