Everything You Wanted to Know About Gavi

Biography

Pablo Martín Páez Gavira, known as Gavi, was born on August 5, 2004, in Los Palacios y Villafranca (Seville, Andalusia). He began playing football at home, in the club La Liara Balompié, and later moved to the Real Betis academy, where he stood out for his phenomenal goal-scoring record in youth teams — scoring 95 goals for the club’s youth side.

In 2015, at the age of 11, Gavi signed with Barcelona. In September 2020, he signed his first professional contract and received a rare promotion within the academy: he was moved directly from U-16 to U-19. In February 2021, he made his debut for Barcelona B and in the spring began regularly appearing in the reserve team’s starting lineup.

Ahead of the 2021/22 season, Gavi completed pre-season with the first team and quickly secured a place in Ronald Koeman’s squad. On August 29, 2021, he made his first official appearance for the senior team, and on December 18 he scored his debut goal and provided an assist in a match against Elche.

During the 2022/23 season, he became a key player: in January 2023, in the Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid, he scored and provided two assists, earning the Man of the Match award. There was also a legal situation surrounding his contract and La Liga registration: an agreement until 2026 was initially accepted, then a court ruled it invalid due to salary cap restrictions, after which the club finalized his registration as a first-team player and secured his contract until 2026 with a €1 billion release clause. On January 31, 2025, Gavi extended his contract with Barcelona until 2030.

Gavi’s career during this period was interrupted by a serious injury. In November 2023, he suffered a torn cruciate ligament and damage to the meniscus in his right knee and was sidelined for almost a year. He returned to training on September 12, 2024, and in October came back to the pitch after 348 days out — in a match against Sevilla. At the end of October, he also appeared in El Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu. In January 2025, he scored in the Spanish Super Cup semifinal against Athletic and helped the team win the trophy.

In the 2025/26 season, he began appearing more frequently as a substitute; however, in early September 2025 he underwent surgery due to a medial meniscus injury in his right knee. As of December 2025, he continues his recovery, with the club targeting February 2026 for his return.

For the Spanish national team, Gavi made his debut in October 2021 after receiving a surprise call-up from Luis Enrique and became the youngest player in the history of the national team. In June 2022, he scored his first goal for Spain, also becoming the youngest goalscorer in the country’s history. At the 2022 World Cup, he played in all four matches and scored against Costa Rica, becoming the third-youngest goalscorer in World Cup history (after Pelé and Manuel Rosas). In October 2023, his goal against Norway helped Spain qualify for Euro 2024, but in November he suffered an injury that caused him to miss Euro 2024 and the 2024 Olympics.

Personal Life

Gavi comes from a small town in Andalusia and from an early age stood out for his character and discipline. He tends to avoid publicity outside football and rarely speaks about his private life.

In 2025, Spanish media reported on his possible relationship with influencer Ana Pelayo — this was discussed following their public appearances during Barcelona’s La Liga title celebrations.

Interesting Facts

• He scored 95 goals in the Real Betis academy — an extremely rare statistic for a player who became a central midfielder in professional football.
• He was promoted within Barcelona’s system from U-16 directly to U-19 — an unusual leap even for La Masia.
• He received Barcelona’s number 6 shirt, previously worn by Xavi, but due to a legal registration dispute temporarily reverted to youth-team status and the number 30 shirt.
• He became the youngest player and the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Spanish national team.
• At the 2022 World Cup, he entered the top three youngest goalscorers in the tournament’s history.