Barcelona could not have Mbappe so they bought Mbacke.

Mamadou Mbacke, a 21-year-old defender, has signed a permanent two year deal with Barça Atlétic after joining the team last season on a loan deal from Los Angeles FC.

🚨 Real Madrid sign Mbappé. Barcelona sign Mbacke.

(📸 @FCBarcelona) pic.twitter.com/pxNxc56J6i

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) July 24, 2024

While the transfer has already been made public by Barcelona’s second team, it is not safe to say whether Mbacke will only play for them or if he might get the opportunity to join Barça’s first team in the future.

Mbacke’s first steps in professional football

The Senegalese international started his professional career at LAFC in 2021, at the age of 18 years, after going through the Montverde Academy as a youth player.

Back then, LAFC already counted on him and Mbacke made his debut for the club on matchday three against Kansas City. Although Los Angeles lost, it was obvious that the defender had talent. From that game onward, he played another 15 matches in his first season at the club.

After just one year with the Major Soccer League side, he then had the opportunity to play on Spanish ground for the first team in 2022, after LAFC and FC Villarreal B agreed on a one year loan deal.

During his time at Villarreal he played a big part in the team’s success, starting 22 games and scoring three goals for the Submarinos Amarillos.

He impressed enough to make his La Liga debut on matchday 18 of the 2022/23 season for Villarreal, where he got to play for the last 29 minutes against FC Girona.

#LAFC center back Mamadou Fall made his first team debut today for Villareal, helped secure the 1–0 win over Girona. Way to go Mbacke! ✊🏽 pic.twitter.com/NUOkojYGFd

— LAFC 𝕏 (@LAFC_X) January 22, 2023

While his La Liga debut was his first and last first team performance in the Spanish league so far, he might get another chance soon with Barcelona.

Ever since his time in Spain, he has not properly returned to his old team, LAFC. Mbacke went on loan to Barça Atlétic for the past season, who are part of Spain's third tier.

💪 Mbacke 💪 pic.twitter.com/v1OMPjFPiT

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) March 27, 2024

Last season, he helped the team come third in the league with the 20 games he started. His season did get cut short due to a severe ankle injury including surgery and he missed the last five games. While it is debatable whether a third place for Barça’s B team is a success considering they have got the most expensive squad, Mbacke for one impressed with his performance.

Throughout the season, Barcelona already wanted to agree on a permanent deal but both clubs could not settle an agreement.

He already said goodbye and farewell - now he is M(back)e

Therefore, Mbacke was expected to leave Barça Atlétic and go back to America to play in the MSL again.

On Instagram he shared pictures of his time with the club and captioned it:

“Hey Culers, it's been a great journey sharing experiences both as a teammate and a fan. My aim coming here was to elevate Barça to where it belongs, but it wasn’t God's plan. (…) Just want to say thanks to all, it was a short but sweet ride”.

At last, LAFC and Barça did however come to an agreement and the Culers signed him on a two year contract for €2m.

❗️ 𝐔́𝐋𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐀 𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐀

🤝 Acuerdo con Los Ángeles FC para el traspaso de 𝗠𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲 al Barça Atlètic

✍🏼 Firmará hasta 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣ con dos temporadas más opcionales

🔗 https://t.co/rUPjuDg0uF

🙌🏼 ¡Bienvenido de nuevo!

💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/vzsC6U10g3

— Barça Atlètic (@FCBarcelonaB) July 22, 2024

Who is Mamadou Mbacke?

The Senegal U23 national player is still young and has a great future ahead of him.

He has shown his talent and securing a permanent deal with Barcelona’s second team will bring more attention to him.

Depending on how the following season turns out, Mbacke might receive another opportunity to play in La Liga, this time for Barcelona, and once he can impress there - all eyes will be on him.

Mbacke is a tall player with an athletic build which is why one of his main strengths are winning tackles which, obviously, as a defender is one of the most important skills. Furthermore, he is quicker than most of his opponents - another quality that makes him outshine others.

As talents get younger every year - Lamine Yamal is a perfect example - the 21-year-old is not considered as one of the extremely young players with a great future which might make it difficult for him to be seen by other big clubs.

Regardless, a permanent deal with Barcelona is a step in the right direction and with a decent performance next season with no injuries, anything is possible.