Alejandro Balde's Struggles at Barcelona: A Season of Frustration

Alejandro Balde is stuck in a holding pattern that’s starting to feel brutal.

The Barcelona full-back has not played a single minute this season. Not one. While the team rolls on without him, he watches from the fringes as Hansi Flick leans on others for the left side of his defence.

According to Sport, Flick has made his choice for now: Gerard Martín and João Cancelo are his preferred options at left-back. Balde, once a symbol of the club’s fresh, homegrown energy, has slipped into a harsh grey zone — not injured, not out of the squad permanently, but nowhere near the pitch.

It didn’t start here. The warning signs came in the summer.

After an injury-hit campaign in which he missed 10 matches with physical problems, Barcelona put Balde on the market. The club listened to offers, weighing up a sale for a player who, not long ago, looked untouchable in their long-term plans.

Manchester United stepped forward late in the window. They liked the profile, liked the potential, and pushed to get a deal done. The move never materialised. Financial terms between the clubs didn’t align, and the talks stalled. On top of that, Balde himself had no intention of walking away from Barcelona. He is tied to the club until 2028, with a release clause set at one billion euros, and he wanted to fight for his place.

For now, that fight is happening far from the spotlight.

Flick left him out of the squad entirely for the opening La Liga match against Elche, judging him not sufficiently focused. It was a blunt call from a new coach setting early standards, and it pushed Balde even further down the pecking order behind Martín and Cancelo.

Since then, nothing has changed on the pitch. Balde has still not pulled on the shirt this season. Among outfield players, only he and Bryan Fariñas remain unused despite being fully fit. The two reserve goalkeepers, Ljubičić and Szczęsny, are also yet to feature, while Frenkie de Jong and Bardají are sidelined with long-term injuries.

Inside the club, though, the message is that the door is not closed.

Deco, Barcelona’s sporting director, addressed Balde’s situation on RAC1 radio. “Nothing has happened, he is our player,” he said. “He is 22 years old, he has a big future, and a contract with the best club in the world. He has to compete to play.”

Deco also reminded everyone of the level Balde reached not so long ago. “Balde suffered injuries, but he was outstanding two years ago. If Balde is in good shape, it is difficult for him not to play with Barcelona.”

That contrast is what makes the current picture so stark.

A year ago, Balde opened the 2025-2026 La Liga season as a starter, trusted from day one. He began the campaign as a regular in the first three league matches, amassing 222 minutes and looking firmly embedded in the side. Across the whole season, Flick left him on the bench for the full 90 minutes only five times.

Already this season, with September barely underway, he has been unused even more often.

From cornerstone to question mark in the space of a year. The contract says Balde is part of Barcelona’s future. The team sheet, for now, tells a very different story.