Israeli Midfielder Oriyen Goren Impresses in Barcelona First-Team Debut

Oriyen Goren, the 17-year-old Israeli midfielder, made his official first-team debut for Barcelona on Friday during a preseason friendly against Birmingham City. Goren entered the match in the 62nd minute as a substitute for Marc Casado in a game that ended 2-2 and was decided by a 3-2 penalty shootout loss for Barcelona. Although he had previously played in a closed-door friendly against Europa, this was his first recognized appearance with the senior squad. Barcelona's official website highlighted Goren as one of nine La Masia academy players making their first-team debut alongside new signing Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund, with a total of ten players debuting in the match.

The club praised Goren's quality, noting his previous season with the youth team where he made 36 appearances, scored four goals, and provided one assist. Catalan media also responded positively; Mundo Deportivo described him as a "developing" player who sought to create numerical advantages and influence the game, while Sport gave him a rating of 6, commenting that he "showed sparks" but needed to relax more on the pitch. Barcelona coach Xavi Enrique "Enzi" Flick praised the young players after the match, emphasizing the importance of quality, intensity, and atmosphere, calling it a pleasure to work with them.