World Sport: Natan Impresses Against Real Madrid, Barcelona May Have Found Their Ideal Left-Footed Center-Back

According to Mundo Deportivo, Real Betis center-back Natan performed excellently against Real Madrid, proving that he could be the left-footed center-back Barcelona need.

Barcelona are currently three points ahead of Real Madrid, with Flick's team looking unstoppable, while Real Madrid suffered a defeat against Betis. Mourinho's comments had some basis, as Real Madrid arguably should have won based on the chances they created.

Real Madrid hit the woodwork three times. Valles not only saved a penalty but also stopped four clear scoring opportunities; in addition, the outstanding Bartra made two goal-line clearances. These factors combined to prevent Real Madrid from scoring.

However, Natan's performance not only proved his ability but also once again highlighted Deco's judgment in searching for a left-footed center-back. Against one of the most in-form forwards in today's game, Natan delivered a masterful performance in reading the game, speed, and both ground and aerial interceptions. He made good use of his physicality and, despite his aggressive defending, committed very few fouls.

The Brazilian center-back, who came through Flamengo's youth system, is now in his third season with Betis and is at the peak stage of his career. At just 25 years old, Natan has considerable experience and continues to improve.

Of course, during stoppage time in Betis' match against Real Madrid, Natan was penalized for a penalty after his compatriot Vinicius, despite having already passed the ball, was judged to have exaggerated the contact in the incident.

In the end, although Barcelona did not spend 100 million euros on Julian Alvarez, they also did not sign the center-back who had previously been considered a priority target. Flick has great trust in Gerard Martin, whose growth at center-back has been clear. Gerard Martin has pleased Barcelona supporters to the extent that his two mistakes this season, which did not occur last season, have attracted less attention.

With 12 points in the league, these lapses are easy to overlook. But if Barcelona want to build a complete squad capable of challenging for the Champions League in the 2026-27 season, they are still missing a player like Natan, who can deliver a dominant performance as he did against Real Madrid.