Highly-rated Ghanaian defender Hafiz Gariba has taken another significant step in his promising career after joining Barcelona’s first-team pre-season camp ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
The 19-year-old centre-back reported to the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper on Monday, where he linked up with members of Hansi Flick’s senior squad as well as several standout youngsters from Barça Atlètic and the club’s academy.
Gariba and his teammates underwent the club’s routine medical examinations before the first training session scheduled for Tuesday, marking the official start of Barcelona’s preparations for the new season.
The towering defender earned his opportunity after an impressive 2025/26 campaign with Barcelona’s Under-19 side, where he established himself as one of the team’s key performers during their UEFA Youth League run.
His consistent displays have reportedly placed him firmly on the radar of head coach Hansi Flick, with the Ghanaian now hoping to impress enough during pre-season to secure a place in the senior squad for the upcoming season.
Gariba joined several established first-team stars who reported for duty, including Marc-André ter Stegen, Wojciech Szczęsny, Alejandro Balde, Andreas Christensen, Fermín López, Marc Casadó, Gerard Martín, Marc Bernal, Héctor Fort and Roony Bardghji.
He was also among a group of promising academy players invited to train with the senior side, alongside Aron Yaakobishvili, Jofre Torrents, Álvaro Cortés, Tommy Marqués, Orian Goren, Ebrima Tunkara, Ibrahim Diarra, Guillermo Fernández, Álex González, Shane Kluivert, Toni Fernández, Óscar Gistau, Xavi Espart and Egypt international Hamza Abdelkarim, who recently featured at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Gariba recently returned to Spain after spending part of the off-season in Ghana, where he enjoyed a short holiday before resuming preparations for what could be the biggest season of his young career.
The gifted defender will now be aiming to convince Flick that he is ready to make the leap from the youth ranks to Barcelona’s first team as the La Liga champions prepare to defend their domestic crown and compete in Europe.
