Barcelona's Israeli diamond: 'He is going to have a huge career'

Israeli football has seen quite a few flashy transfers and acquisitions over the years. The late Avi Cohen paved the European way at Liverpool, Eyal Berkovic thrilled at Manchester City, Yossi Benayoun had a magnificent career at Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal, Eran Zahavi conquered the Dutch league with PSV, and Moanes Dabbur recorded an impressive chapter at Sevilla. Alongside these, other Israeli players have graced the squads of respected European clubs. However, when a 17-year-old boy from Savyon, with no experience or playing minutes in a senior team in Israel, integrates so naturally into the biggest empire in world football — Barcelona — it is an unprecedented event that cannot be taken for granted.

Oriane Goren has long been more than just another player at 'La Masia' — one of the most prestigious and glorious football academies in the world. Today, Goren is part of Barcelona's senior team. This past weekend, a particularly exciting milestone in his young career was reached: Goren came on as a substitute from coach Hansi Flick's bench during a preparatory match of the Spanish champions against CE Europa, which ended in a 4-1 victory.

Goren's story at Barcelona began about four years ago, when the young player from Maccabi Petah Tikva arrived in the city as part of a Bar Mitzvah trip. Later, he came for a trial and caught the scouts' eyes, and today Goren is one of the hottest names in the Spanish media. Everyone there is amazed by his technical abilities, tactical intelligence, the calmness he radiates on the pitch, and his rapid pace of progress. Even in the youth department, he was spoken of as an exceptional talent — a player you don't get to see in the club every day. It seems this is a 'bingo' for the Catalans and a big miss for football in Israel.

Now Goren faces busy and exciting days. He is flying with Barcelona to a training camp in England, and the very fact of his departure with the senior team shows how much coach Hansi Flick counts on him and believes in his potential. The youth national team coach, Ofir Haim, who coached Oriane and let him play alongside players two years older than him, tells about the young Israeli star:

'Already in the first tournament where I called him up, I immediately understood what it was about. He is simply an experience, a magic player, a super professional with a huge personality. Oriane does things that seem simple but are so special. He is a player you cannot press, he doesn't lose the ball, and it is a huge pleasure to coach him. I remember we had a game against Germany, players who were a head taller than him — and he simply crushed them. It was impossible to take the ball from his foot.'

Haim said he sent a message to Goren immediately after his debut for the seniors over the weekend: 'He is enjoying the moment, but feels this is his natural path. Oriane knows he is not satisfied with a single appearance — he is going all the way with full force. This is one of the most special players I have had the chance to coach. He is a very humble and organized guy, you won't see him chatting, but you can see he knows he is going to have a huge career. I wrote to him: 'It's an amazing achievement to play for the first time for Barcelona, but it's just a small step from what you are yet to do.''

High technical quality

Jaume Marcet, a senior football correspondent for the local newspaper 'Sport', follows Goren's development closely. Marcet worked for years at the 'La Masia' academy and was the first journalist to conduct a comprehensive interview with Leo Messi when he was only 13 years old. Goren's debut seems to him a natural step in his path, but he emphasizes that patience is required: 'Oriane's progress is very impressive and he started the pre-season with the senior team, but the most natural thing is that in the coming season he will play mainly for the reserve team. Many of the senior team players only recently finished the World Cup matches and therefore will join later. That is why Barcelona started the pre-season with many players from the youth and reserve teams. Currently, Oriane is training with the senior team, but it would be a surprise if he stays there throughout the season. Nevertheless, in football, you can never know.'

On Goren's last season, Marcet adds: 'He had an excellent season. He was one of the most prominent players in the youth team, a classic internal midfielder in the Barcelona style — creative, with very high technical quality and excellent ball control. Due to injuries and absences in the squad, he was forced to play quite a bit as a defensive midfielder in a role reminiscent of Sergio Busquets, and he did it excellently. He proved tactical intelligence, adaptability, and a lot of humility. He knew how to sacrifice himself for the team and show good ability even in a position that is not his natural one.'

According to Marcet, professionally, Goren is very suitable for Barcelona's style: 'He uses both feet well, has good vision of the game, and delivers passes with a lot of logic. He has the ability to join the attack and score, and in the future, he will score more goals because he has a good shot. He is a right midfielder, but feels comfortable when playing slightly to the left — in a profile reminiscent of Andres Iniesta. In addition, everyone describes him as an intelligent, mature, and responsible guy who has never created problems. He is aware of his potential and understands that reaching the senior team is a difficult task, so he continues to work with patience.'

The pre-season gives Goren an important opportunity. 'The fact that he trains every day under Hansi Flick allows the coach to get to know him personally. Flick sees him training, observes his conduct, and identifies his strengths. Goren represents the 'La Masia' players well: he almost never loses balls and knows how to take calculated risks in dribbling, a key pass, or a shot. The next stage for him is to turn talent into numbers — more goals and assists. The best advice for him is not to rush. The process at Barcelona is gradual, and to become a significant player, you need a lot of patience.'

Compliments to the excellent student

The great trust in Goren is also reflected in a survey conducted by Marcet among Barcelona fans on the question: 'Who among the young talents in the team generates the highest level of expectations?' Goren reached second place with 24 percent of the fans' votes after the Gambian Ibrahima Tonkara, who won over 57 percent of the votes. In the Catalan media, it was written about Goren that he is an 'excellent student', and journalist Sergi Capdevila noted: 'He influenced the game positively with quality minutes.' It was also written that he is a 'pearl that excites the high levels of the club and a player for whom they are looking for ways to create continuity.'

In the past, they even compared him to Pedri, and at 'La Masia', they show him videos of the national team midfielder to learn from him. Despite his slender appearance, he is characterized by great aggressiveness and plays as a flexible central midfielder. Sal Amargi, a correspondent for the Spanish newspaper 'El Mundo', summarizes: 'Since Goren arrived at 'La Masia' in 2022, he has proven that he has a future and they are unequivocally counting on him. The plan is for Goren to play for Barcelona B, and from there the door will open for him to the first team when necessary. He has excellent technique and physicality, and the comparison to Pedri is a huge compliment.'

Also in the Israeli fan community 'Barça Mania', there is great excitement. Shay Pel and Tom Rosenwasser from the fan organization say: 'There is huge hype. We learned from past experience with Guy Assulin and Ben Lederman, but Goren has a unique set of traits: he is very smart, technical, aggressive, and connects excellently to Barcelona's system. For Israelis, this is a huge pride. The media in Catalonia is in love with him, and they are marking him as one of the future players of the club.'