Five rising stars to pay attention to in El Clasico

Every duel between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona features some of the greatest and most high-profile players in the world, but the El Clasico is also a game in which emerging talents can make a name for themselves.

Both these clubs have several exciting youngsters on their books right now, including the following five rising stars.

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If they see the pitch on Saturday night, it’ll be worth keeping an eye on them in case they produce a moment of magic.

Below are the five rising stars who could make an impact in Saturday’s game.

Marc Casadó

FC Barcelona’s successful start to this season has been extra impressive when considering that they’ve suffered several injuries already, especially in midfield. With so many players out, coach Hansi Flick has had to turn to youth and one of the players he has trusted the most is Marc Casadó.

The 21-year-old La Masia graduate has done an excellent job of filling in the centre of the pitch, providing defensive cover and even contributing to attack, such as when he set up one of the team’s goals in a big 4-1 victory away at Girona FC.

Casadó first made his debut for the Barça senior side in a November 2022 Champions League game against Viktoria Plzen and has been a regular member of first-team training since then, but it’s only this season that he has started to earn consistent minutes. Even though some of the more experienced midfielders in the squad are beginning to return from injury, Flick trusts Casadó and he could make his El Clasico debut this Saturday.

Arda Güler

Arda Güler might be the most intriguing rising star in all of world football. Still just 19 years of age, his potential is enormous and everyone at Real Madrid speaks very highly of the teenager. After signing for Real Madrid in the summer of 2023, joining from Fenerbahce, injuries prevented him from making his debut until January of 2024, but when he did get into the team he immediately caught the eye.

The Turkish playmaker already has six goals for Real Madrid, even though he has only completed the full 90 minutes twice since arriving. He is averaging a goal approximately every 122 minutes, which is a good rate of scoring for a non-forward. The Turkish footballer is also able to score for his national team and netted his third goal for his country in a 4-2 victory over Iceland during the October international break.

Héctor Fort

As the 2024/25 season has progressed, 18-year-old FC Barcelona right-back Héctor Fort has gained more and more importance at his club. After not coming off the bench for the first four matches of the Hansi Flick era, Fort has since become a regular part of the German tactician’s plans. He came off the bench in each of the next four league games, before earning his first start of the campaign in the convincing 3-0 win over Deportivo Alavés, contributing to the clean sheet.

Fort, who was born in Barcelona and who came through the club’s academy, had already made his debut for the first team and racked up 10 appearances under Xavi last season, demonstrating his versatility by playing both at left-back and at right-back. He hasn’t yet played in El Clasico during his young career, but that could change at the Bernabéu this weekend.

Endrick

Endrick has already made an impact at Real Madrid after arriving from Palmeiras during the summer.

By scoring two goals already, both of them at the Bernabéu, the Brazilian has quickly won over the Real Madrid fanbase. Considering he scored 21 goals in 82 games for Palmeiras, all before turning 18 in the summer, it was to be expected that Endrick would find the back of the net quickly upon arriving in Spain.

Considering the incredible amount of quality Carlo Ancelotti has to pick from in the Real Madrid attack, with the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius, Rodrygo, and Jude Bellingham, it’s not surprising that Endrick hasn’t yet started a match in La Liga EA Sports. But, his explosiveness off the bench, when opposition defences are tired, makes him a very dangerous player and one who might make an impact in El Clasico.

Fermín López

Fermín López started his rise during FC Barcelona’s pre-season tour of 2023, when he produced a sublime performance in a 3-0 friendly win over Real Madrid by scoring one super goal and recording an assist too. That earned him a place in the first-team squad and he made 42 appearances for Barça in 2023/24, scoring 11 goals.

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Picked by Spain to go to the 2024 Olympic Games, Fermín López’s six goals and two assists in six matches helped La Roja secure the gold medal. Unfortunately, the 21-year-old has suffered injury issues over the first few months of the current campaign and hasn’t featured much at all for Hansi Flick so far. He should be ready for El Clasico, though, and would be a major threat to Real Madrid if he gets on the pitch.