Every body: Badji’s performance in the national team confirms Deco& Flick’s vision and fierce competition will be needed to return to Barcelona

Football 11:17pm, 19 November 2025 57

The Western media "Daily Sports" wrote an article talking about Barcelona's Swedish winger Baddji. Baddj made his debut in a new position with the Swedish national team and received critical acclaim from his country's media. After returning to Barcelona, ​​he will face more fierce competition within the team.

In Sweden's 1-1 draw with Slovenia, Baddj started in a position that was not his usual position. Sweden adopted a 442 formation for this battle, with Baddji and Lidberg partnering as a double forward.

Although he was substituted in the 66th minute of the game and missed several scoring opportunities, Baddj was very comfortable on the court. Many Swedish media even named him the best player of the game. "Helsingborg Daily News" reported: "Badji played as a shadow striker. This performance confirmed why Deco and Flick insisted on signing him this summer. Facing Slovenia, he showed excellent dribbling skills, speed, court vision, courageous attitude and Fearless spirit. The signal sent by the 20-year-old is very clear: he is eager to fight for a place in Barcelona's fiercely competitive starting lineup."

On the other hand, "Sports Express" emphasized that Badji is the "creative core player" in the Swedish team. "One of his most exciting performances in the game was an assist for Lundgren, but it was a pity that the latter failed to score the ball. Although the fans voted him the best of the game, in my opinion, he could have participated more deeply in the game."

Swedish coach Porter also spoke highly of Baddj's potential and his partnership with Lidberg. "Badji is a young player. He has integrated well into the team and has had the opportunity to show his strength from the beginning of the game. Lidberg's playing style has brought clear ideas to our offense."

Although Sweden failed to win this game, it still has the chance to advance to the World Cup through the play-offs. After the game, Baddji shared his feelings: "It feels so wonderful to start in front of the fans in the national team's home game. I am in good condition. It has been a long time since I started and played for 65 minutes. This is really a great experience."

In addition, Baddji also admitted frankly that seeing the Swedish team ranked bottom in the group, he fully understood the criticism from the fans. "I can fully understand everyone's dissatisfaction, there is no doubt about it. The current result is not what we want, but we must look forward."

After the national team gradually finds the rhythm of the game, Badji now faces a new challenge is to get more playing time in Barcelona. His situation will not be easy in the next game, because Flick's forward players are returning from injuries one after another. Raphinha has been training with the team for two days and is expected to play against Biba. In addition, Flick also has available players such as Yamal, Rashford, Lewandowski and Phelan.

Although Yamal needs to control his playing time due to a pubic bone problem, the above-mentioned five players still need to compete for two starting positions. This situation may provide Badji with more playing opportunities. A few days ago, Badji had made it clear that he had no intention of getting more game time on loan in January.

His goal has always been to succeed at Barcelona. "I have already gotten some playing time, so it feels great. I know I need to be patient. I have only been in Barcelona for three or four months, and it is too early to make a decision now. I am in good condition and can obviously feel that I am improving every day and can learn a lot from my teammates in every training."

As of the start of this national team match day, Badji has played only 173 minutes in La Liga this season, and only 22 minutes at the end of the two Champions League games. Although his playing opportunities are limited, he still shows his potential in the future from time to time.

source:vn 7m cn