17-Year-Old Orian Goren Shines at Barcelona but Faces Backlash Over His Background
17-year-old Israeli midfielder Orian Goren, who impressed Hansi Flick during Barcelona's training sessions, has become the target of online abuse and political attacks due to his nationality.
Orian Goren, the 17-year-old Israeli midfielder for FC Barcelona, was called up to the senior team's training sessions and the training camp in England after impressing in the youth departments. The club described him as a "pure talent" on social media, which unfortunately made him a target for insults and political attacks simply because he is Israeli. According to reports in the Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, coach Hansi Flick identified Goren as one of the three young players who impressed him the most, alongside Xavi Espart and Ibrahima Thounkara.
"He surprised me, he has huge potential," Flick said about Goren after the preparation match against Birmingham, in which the midfielder participated for 28 minutes. Goren, born in March 2009, arrived at the Barcelona academy from Maccabi Petah Tikva when he was only 14 years old. Since he started receiving minutes and opportunities in the first team, posts about Goren on social media have been flooded with insults and personal attacks, often mixing in political issues related to Israel.
One of the responses was attached to a screenshot of a "like" Goren gave to activist Marwan Jaber. The post that Goren liked included a picture of his teammate, Spanish star Lamine Yamal, holding an Israeli flag with the caption "Now it's perfect" added by Jaber. One user found the picture, shared it in the comments, and wrote: "This is unacceptable," which received over 16,000 views.
Spanish journalist Jaume Marcet came to his defense in a series of tweets on X, arguing that one should separate football from everything else. "Orian Goren is a 17-year-old boy whom Hansi Flick is simply in love with professionally," wrote Marcet. "You can like his way of playing more or less, but everything related to insults and disrespect towards a 17-year-old boy just because of where he was born, or because of issues related to Israel, seems to me simply pathetic."
Marcet also wrote about the treatment Goren receives within Barcelona: "Orian is a child who is very loved in the club because of his exemplary behavior. He is a wonderful guy, whom everyone who knows him speaks of with immense appreciation." He added: "To disqualify him and not want him to play in a Barcelona uniform just because he is Israeli is, in my eyes, something worthy of filing a complaint. Think and express any opinion you want about Israel, but don't involve him in it. A little respect and empathy, please."
It is important to note that Barcelona's post received a higher than usual amount of responses and views, nearly 900,000 for a fairly mundane post. A significant part of the responses defends the young man, arguing that one should separate politics from football and that a child who arrived at age 14 has nothing to do with the war. On the other hand, there are those who seek to delegitimize him with comments like "a talent who supports genocide."
Barcelona continues preparations for upcoming matches in Italy and the Joan Gamper Trophy. According to the report, Flick conveyed a message to the staff regarding the possibility that Goren and other young players will continue to train with the senior team.
