Fermín López

Fermín López Marín (born 11 May 2003) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or winger for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team.

Early career
Born in El Campillo, Huelva, Andalusia, López began playing football with his local club CD FB El Campillo, and followed that with a stint at Recreativo de Huelva before moving to Real Betis in 2012. In the summer of 2016, he moved to the youth academy of Barcelona.

2022–23 season: Loan to Linares
On 19 August 2022, López signed a professional contract with Barcelona Atlètic for two years until 2024, and immediately went on loan with Linares Deportivo in the Primera Federación for the 2022–23 season. He made his senior debut nine days later, starting in a 2–0 home win over Mérida AD.

López scored his first senior goal on 30 October 2022, in a 2–1 away success over Rayo Majadahonda. He finished the campaign with 12 goals in 40 appearances overall, being an undisputed starter for Linares.

2023–24 season: First team debut
After strong performances in training with Barcelona before the preseason, López was called up to their senior preseason squad in July 2023. He received international recognition after a strong performance for Barcelona, as he scored a goal and provided an assist in a friendly 3–0 win over their rivals Real Madrid on 29 July 2023. After the game, Xavi confirmed that López was to stay with their senior side for the 2023–24 season.

On 27 August 2023, López made his La Liga debut for Barcelona in a 4–3 away win over Villarreal. Two days later, he signed a new contract at the club until 30 June 2027, with a buyout clause of €400 million. The following 10 September, Fermin would make his official debut with Barça Atlètic after receiving Xavi's permission to play for them. He was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in a 1–0 away loss to Gimnàstic de Tarragona. López would later return to the first team setup and made his UEFA Champions League debut on 19 September, coming off the bench to replace Gavi in the 58th minute of a 5–0 home victory over Royal Antwerp in the competition's group stage. A week later, in an away match against Mallorca, he scored his first goal for Barcelona and first La Liga goal: after coming on as a substitute on the 64th minute, with Barça losing 2–1, he scored a 75th minute equalizer, setting the final score at 2–2.

On 25 October 2023, López scored a goal on his first start in the Champions League in a 2–1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk, in which he was also named player of the match.

International career
On 6 October 2023, López was called up to the Spain under-21 squad; he later made his debut on 13 October in a 0–0 draw against the Uzbekistan under-23 team. He then went on to score his first goal for the team in a 4-0 away win over Kazakhstan in a qualifying match for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship on 17 October.

On 27 May 2024, López was selected in the Spanish senior 29-man preliminary squad for the UEFA Euro 2024. On 5 June, he debuted in a 5–0 friendly victory against Andorra at the Estadio Nuevo Vivero in Badajoz, coming on as a substitute to Barcelona teammate Pedri in the 62nd minute and assisting on the last goal of the game by another Barcelona player Ferran Torres.

In May 2024, he was named in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024.

Style of play
López is an energetic, right-footed central midfielder, who also has the versatility to play as an attacking midfielder. He is technically proficient, has great movement off the ball, is adept at exploiting space, and is productive with goals and assists.

Honours
Spain
 * UEFA European Championship: 2024