Who is Ander Barrenetxea? Real Sociedad winger tipped for big things

30 Oct 2021 06:43 CDT
5 min read

Ander Barrenetxea, Real Sociedad — © ProShots

Real Sociedad have made a superb start to the 2021/22 season and are actually involved in the title race in La Liga, albeit at this early stage.

Stars like David Silva, Alexander Isak and Mikel Oyarzabal have flourished, but they have an exciting young wonderkid impressing too in Ander Barrenetxea.

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Though not a key member of the first-team squad yet, his talent is there for all to see and he has been tipped for big things.

So, what kind of player is he?

What position does Ander Barrenetxea play?

Barrenetxea usually plays as a left winger, though he can also play on the right.

How good is Ander Barrenetxea?

Barrenetxea came through the young ranks at Real Sociedad and is a Basque boy through and through.

He became the first player born in the 21st century to play in La Liga when he made his debut in a loss against Alaves in December of 2018.

He remains the first player to skip the B team from the young ranks to play for the first team since Antoine Griezmann achieved the same feat.

There is a general feeling that Sociedad are waiting for Barrenetxea to truly explode onto the scene as he has been in and around the first team squad for a while now.

He has made 61 appearances for the club in La Liga and only managed five goals and one assist.

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A post shared by Ander Barrenetxea (@anderbarrene7)

However, he has impressed in 2021/22 as he has one goal and one assist in just two starts in La Liga so far.

Barrenetxea features on the left wing but is right-footed which allows him to cut inside and impact play in more central areas. When playing on the opposite wing, he is deployed more as a conventional winner.

Both positions utilise his best attributes which are his pace and his dribbling ability.

He is capable of carrying the ball forward at speed, taking the game to the opposition.