Alejandro Balde: From Starter to Forgotten Option at Barcelona

Alejandro Balde has slipped into one of the most uncomfortable places a young footballer can find himself: fit, contracted long-term, and not playing a single minute.

At Barcelona, that is a brutal spotlight to live under.

From rising starter to forgotten option

The 22-year-old full-back has yet to feature this season. Not a start, not a late cameo. Nothing.

Hansi Flick has drawn his line clearly. On the left, he trusts Gerard Martín and João Cancelo. Balde sits behind both, stranded in a tactical no-man’s land that would have been unthinkable not so long ago.

Only a year back, the picture was very different. In the 2025-2026 season, Balde opened the campaign as a regular, starting the first three La Liga games and logging 222 minutes. Across that entire league season, Flick left him on the bench without playing just five times.

This season has already moved close to that mark, and September has barely begun.

A summer on the market, a future still in Barcelona

Barcelona had already sent a warning signal in the summer. After an injury-hit campaign in which Balde missed 10 matches, the club put him on the transfer market. The message was clear: his place was no longer guaranteed.

Manchester United sensed an opportunity and moved late in the window. The interest was real, but the numbers never lined up. The two clubs failed to reach a financial agreement, and any potential deal stalled there.

On the player’s side, there was no desire to push. Balde, tied to Barça until 2028 with a staggering one-billion-euro release clause, had no intention of leaving the Camp Nou. He chose to stay and fight for his place.

So far, that fight has been one-sided.

Flick’s verdict: not focused enough

The first sign of his new reality came on opening day. For the La Liga curtain-raiser against Elche, Flick did not just leave Balde on the bench. He left him out of the squad entirely, judging him, according to Sport, not sufficiently focused.

From there, the pattern hardened. Martín and Cancelo took hold of the left flank, and Balde slid well down the pecking order.

The numbers underline the isolation. Among outfield players who are not injured, only Balde and Bryan Fariñas have yet to play a single minute. The two reserve goalkeepers, Ljubičić and Szczęsny, are also unused, but that comes with the territory of their role. Frenkie de Jong and Bardají remain sidelined with long-term injuries, which at least explains their absence.

Balde has no such cover. He is fit. He is available. He is simply not selected.

Deco backs the talent, but demands a response

Inside the club, the public line remains supportive, if firm. Sporting director Deco addressed Balde’s situation on RAC1, making it clear that the door is not closed.

“Nothing has happened, he is our player,” Deco said. “He is 22 years old, he has a big future, and a contract with the best club in the world. He has to compete to play.”

Deco did not hide the memory of the player Balde was not so long ago.

“Balde suffered injuries, but he was outstanding two years ago. If Balde is in good shape, it is difficult for him not to play with Barcelona.”

That last sentence hangs over the current reality. Right now, he is not playing. And the competition is not easing.

A crossroads in September

The contrast with last season is stark. Then, he was a starter from day one. Now, he is watching from the stands or the bench, leapfrogged by Martín and Cancelo and carrying the weight of a summer in which his name was openly on the market.

For a 22-year-old with a long contract and a huge clause, this is not yet a definitive verdict on his Barça career. But it feels like a crossroads, arriving earlier in the season than anyone expected.

If Deco is right, and a fit, sharp Balde makes it “difficult” for any coach to leave him out, one question now looms over the months ahead: how long can a player with that ceiling afford to live in the shadows?