Hafiz Gariba (R) in a duel against an opponent
Ghanaian defender Hafiz Gariba made his debut for Barcelona U19 in their 2-1 victory over Mercantil U19 on Sunday, February 23, 2025, just a few days after signing for the club.
Barcelona made a surprise move by securing the highly-rated young defender’s signature on Monday, February 17, 2025. The 18-year-old signed a three-year contract, joining the Catalan giants.
Despite only recently arriving at the club, Gariba was handed his debut against a struggling Mercantil side searching for their first win in five games. Jonathan Fonseca gave Mercantil the lead just two minutes before halftime.
Barcelona started the second half strongly, pushing for an equalizer, prompting Juliano Belletti to introduce Gariba into the match.
The league leaders eventually secured the win with two stoppage-time goals from Hugo Alba, who netted his third goal in four games, extending Barcelona’s lead at the top to eight points.
With Barcelona ahead, Gariba and the rest of the defense held firm in the closing minutes to deny Mercantil a late equalizer.
Watch highlights of Gariba below:
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