The Joan Gamper Trophy is not something that resonates much outside of Spain. Named after one of Barcelona's founding members and former presidents, it is awarded to the winner of an exhibition match that is hosted by the Blaugrana ahead of every season. Once a four-team competition, it is now just a single match, with Monaco the visitors for Monday's 2025 edition.
Twelve months ago, Tottenham were Barcelona's opponents. The Catalans included 16-year-old winger Lamine Yamal on their bench; a player very few outside of Spain knew of. There was probably some information out there the casual football fan might have picked up on about the La Masia kid who had made his Barcelona debut at 15, but so what? Barca were too broke to fill a hole on the wing, so Xavi probably had no choice but to play him.
That whole narrative changed on August 8, 2023. Yamal had been on the fringes of Barca's team on their pre-season tour of the United States, shielded well away from the spotlight. But then, in the Gamper Trophy, he was unleashed. What ensued was perhaps the most important 15-minute cameo in recent Barca history, as Yamal tore Tottenham apart, thus proving he was ready to become a regular in the first team and, perhaps, take Spain and Europe by storm..
Suddenly, there was hope. Barca, short of cash and lacking in any real reason for optimism, had a singular, central figure to piece everything around. It would prove to be a risky strategy - it still is - but since then, Yamal has become the European star that those around Catalunya always felt he could be.