Athletic Club will incorporate one of the most striking profiles in Basque youth football into Lezama next season. Álex Esnaola, a forward from Anaitasuna born in 2009, will play in the Juvenil División de Honor after completing a season that has raised alarms in the Athletic Club offices.
Impressive Scoring Record
Esnaola’s statistics speak for themselves: 25 goals in the Liga Vasca Juvenil, the second highest scorer in the category. The context makes them even more striking: Anaitasuna finished in eighth position in a league of 18 teams. Esnaola did not shine in a dominant team that generates a series of chances. He shone in a mid-table team, which reinforces the individual value of his figures.
Llorente Comparisons Inevitable
What has sparked interest around his figure goes beyond goals. At just 16 years old, Esnaola is already around 1.95 metres tall, a figure practically identical to that reached by Fernando Llorente in his professional career. The historic rojiblanco forward became one of Athletic’s great offensive references thanks to his physical capacity, aerial game and presence inside the area. The comparison is inevitable and not free.
Potential for Further Growth
Esnaola could even continue to grow. At 16 years old and in full development stage, it would not be unreasonable to think that he could exceed two metres in the future. That would make him a practically unique case within the rojiblanca youth academy and in current European football, where forwards of such stature are increasingly scarce.
More Than Just Height
Those who have followed him closely emphasise that Esnaola is not just a finisher or an aerial player. Despite his size, he also stands out for his power in the race, his stride and his ability to attack spaces. The player himself recognises that he likes to participate in the game and come into contact with the ball, a virtue unusual in footballers of such physique and that considerably expands his tactical projection.
Athletic are thus incorporating into the Juvenil de Honor a profile completely different from the usual in the Copa de Campeones in which the rojiblanco Juvenil has just competed. And if the technical development accompanies the physical conditions, Lezama could be facing one of the most unique forwards that Basque youth football has given in many years.