The Americans are coming! Konrad de la Fuente is the latest North American to break into one of Europes top clubs, Barcelona FC.
After being born in the USA in 2001 and living there for 10 years, De La Fuente and his family moved to Barcelona. Some soccer insiders and “social media football experts” say the Dynamic winger is set to be the next Neymar – no pressure kid. Check out some of his best moments in the video below, Neymaresque some might say.
In late 2018 De La Fuente made his debut for FC Barcelona B playing 12 minutes off the bench, but he conceded a penalty late in the game and did not see a start until December of 2019. During that time, he saw some appearances but he certainly struggled with a lack of opportunity with the Barcelona B side. However, Konrad played in competitions with the under-16, under-18, under-20 USA national teams, and the US Men’s National Team (USMNT). During those appearances -which spanned 2016 to 2020- he was able to impress the USMNT staff enough to earn his first USMNT appearance. In November 2020, he debuted playing 71 Minutes vs Wales and impressed with his pace and eye-catching skills on the ball.
His performances with the national programs and Barcelona B were simply too much to ignore for the first team staff at the Camp Nou. De La Fuente made his Barcelona first team debut against Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions league also in November of 2020. He has only made three appearances for the Barça first team but continues to impress with the B team, before long the Catalan Club could have two Americans in the starting eleven.