Mikayil Faye: Barcelona’s Next Global Superstar
Mikayil Faye has been linked with moves to Arsenal, Bayern Munich & Manchester United in the last three months despite never making a senior appearance for Barcelona, why? Let’s find out.
Senegal has produced some of the most exciting young talent in world football over the past twenty years, from Sadio Mané and Ismaïla Sarr at Génération Foot to Aliou Baldé and Idrissa Gana Gueye at Diambars FC de Saly.
The latest name to join that list is Barcelona B star Mikayil Faye who looks set for a move this summer with multiple European clubs interested in a £20m move for the 20-year-old centre-back. But what makes the former NK Kustošija star so exciting? Well, let’s look at his underlying numbers and find out!
Player Profile – Mikayil Faye
Nationality: Senegalese
Age: 20
Date of birth: 14/07/2004
Club: FC Barcelona Atlètic
Position: Centre Back
Preferred foot: Left
Height: 186cm (6’1”)
Main Position
Faye has primarily been utilised as a left-sided centre-back under then Barcelona Atlètic coach Rafa Márquez, during his spell at NK Kustošija in Croatia, Faye put up a small number of minutes at full-back in the Prva Nogometna Liga (Croatia’s second division). Márquez primarily lined up in a 4-3-3 with Faye sitting at LCB with Gerard Martín to his left and Sergi Domínguez alongside him at RCB.
Unsurprisingly, Faye’s role at Barcelona has been to play as a ball-playing defender, with the 20-year-old ranked third in the Primera Division for attempted passes per 90 (for defenders) with 72 – only Álvaro Cortés (123) and Pau Cubarsí (81) attempted more last season. The majority of Faye’s ball distribution is short distance with the Senegalese youth star producing an average pass distance of just 20m (ranked 137th in the league) helping him to maintain an impressive 92.5% pass accuracy.
When looking at Faye’s passing numbers further, we see that of his 72 attempted passes per 90 only 23 are forwarded passes and just 7.7 are deemed Progressive Passes (ranked 86th in the league for defenders last season). Despite a low volume of long-range passes, Faye has already demonstrated an incredible ability to unpick defences with a huge diagonal long ball straight into the path of Barcelona’s wide players.
He is somewhat uncomfortable on his right foot particularly when pressed and this is something that a top-level coach will look to drill out of him to prevent clubs from exploiting this weakness.
Underlying Numbers
Faye is a prime example of why it is key to combine data with video analysis of players, on paper Faye ranks 161st in the Primera Division for defensive duels, 138th for aerial duels and 115th for recoveries. Numbers which when reviewed in isolation and consideration for the level at which they have been achieved (Spain’s third division) do not scream top-level talent. But, when considering Barcelona B’s playstyle, with the Catalans topping the division for average possession, and the relative highline implemented by Marquez these numbers are a lot less concerning.
Faye’s 7.71 progressive passes per 90 sits in the top forty percentile for defenders in the division, primarily his role on the ball is to feed the fullbacks or play a simple pass into the central players, this has led to almost 40% of Faye’s progressive passes sitting in the 0-20m range.
When passing at this range Faye maintains a 77% pass accuracy rate down 16% from his overall pass accuracy, including non-progressive passes, Faye’s long distribution is one of the defender’s key skills with a fantastic long ball, although not often called up due to Barcelona’s style of play, not only does Faye possess the ability to play long diagonal balls helping to breakdown ridged defences and initiate rapid counter-attacks but he does so with a fantastic consistency.
Moreover, when passing the ball over 40m last season (1.12 times per game) Faye maintained an 89% pass accuracy. He also maintained an 83% pass accuracy on all long balls attempted last season completing 71 out of 86 attempted long balls (over 30m) last season.
Faye’s 2023/24 passing radar
This skill set, a key component of the Barcelona coaching system, will make Faye a useful skill to a variety of tactical setups, both conventional possession-orientated sides and teams looking to play on the counter and exploit the pace of their wingers. Alongside his passing range, Faye is a strong dribbler of the ball, his explosive acceleration allows him to seamlessly transition into advanced positions, enhancing offensive momentum and making him difficult to shut down.
Faye understands when to play the pass and when to attack space in front of him, his ability to transition from static to dynamic movement enables him to counter the opposition press by punishing their over-commitment and bursting into the central third.
Throughout last season Faye would showcase this skill, carrying possession from the defensive third into the final third (1.13 Progressive Runs/90) the most frequent outcome for these runs was Faye getting tactically fouled by opposition unable to match his pace and power…or a poor long shot from distance.
Faye’s progressive passes and runs in 2023/24
Faye’s dribble volume may not be ground-breaking, ranking 31st in the league for dribbles per 90, but his dribble success rate, sitting at 89% is excellent and further showcases his ability to play in possession-dominant tactical setups.
Defensively, Faye does not go to the ground often producing just four slide tackles across all of last season, he has previously shown a rashness in sliding challenges, primarily whilst playing for Kustošija, however, this appears to have been coached out of him at Barcelona with the Senegal youth player picking up just eight yellow cards last season.
His recovery pace makes him well equipped for teams looking to implement a high line and his ability to run across the ball carrier enabled him to single-handedly shut down several dangerous attacks last season and contributed towards the 48 duels he won inside the defensive third last season.
There were, however, a number of occasions last season where Faye appeared naïve in his defensive challenges recovering well positionally but failing to act decisively in the final third and thus allowing the forward the time and space to beat him and get a shot off – his role in Gimnàstic Tarragona’s opening goal back in May coming to mind immediately.
In front of goal, Faye produced four goals last season for Barcelona B, all of which were from set pieces – three from corners and one vintage centre-back free kick.
Mikayil Faye – Final Assessment
Strengths
Passing Ability & Range – The role of a centre-back is constantly evolving and over the past decade it has become almost universally agreed that a top-level defender needs to be able to progress the ball, Pep Guardiola famously stated that “it’s not enough to just defend” whilst Jurgen Klopp has stated that central defenders “must have the ability to read the game, anticipate movements and make smart decisions under pressure.”
Looking at Faye’s on-the-ball ability, it is clear that despite his lack of senior team football, Faye already showcases the composure, press resistance and passing ability to succeed at the top level. His ability to feed the ball centrally and to wide areas with quick, accurate passes as well as his natural instincts and strong passing vision make him more than capable of playing a possession-dominant side.
Additionally, his ability to operate in wide and central areas, as well as his strong performances at full-back help make Faye a tactically flexible defender, something Antonio Conte has previously flagged as being “key” for a modern defender.
Power, Pace & Acceleration – There is a reason José Mourinho flagged pace as a “fundamental requirement” for a modern defender, the death of the target man and increased speed of attackers combined with the tactical preference for a high line of many top-level clubs has made recovery pace an essential attribute at the highest level.
Luckily, Faye has pace and he knows how to use it. As much as Faye’s top speed is impressive, what is most frightening is his ability to rapidly accelerate, he can switch from almost static to top speed in seconds which allows him to explode into recovery or attack space left by an out-of-position player with little time for the defence to react. Combine this with his physical stature and off-the-ball strength and you have a player very reminiscent of Ronald Araújo.
Ball Recovery & One-On-One Defending – Alongside Faye’s physical qualities is a strong fundamental understanding of how to utilise them to best effect, Faye has demonstrated, on countless occasions, an understanding of how to utilise his body and physicality to close down opposition attackers and shield the ball and defensive space well. He produced 9.97 Recoveries per 90 last season and an impressive 2.5 Interceptions per 90 also.
Weaknesses
Aerial Duels – Mikayil Faye’s aerial duel performance requires significant improvement. Currently ranked 138th in the league, Faye averages 2.88 aerial duels per 90 minutes but only secures a 58.88% win rate.
His lack of certainty in challenges undermines his effectiveness, contributing to this underwhelming statistic. For a defender, proficiency in aerial battles is crucial for asserting dominance and maintaining defensive solidity. Enhancing his timing, positioning, and confidence in aerial contests will be essential for Faye to elevate his game and become a more reliable asset in defence.
Defensive Naivety – Mikayil Faye’s defensive performance has shown signs of naivety, particularly in critical moments. Due to limited senior experience, he often hesitates or fails to act decisively in high-pressure situations, leading to a notable 2.26 losses in own third per 90.
This uncertainty is further highlighted by his 0.62 dangerous losses per 90, a dangerous loss is defined as a turnover in the defensive third that results in an opposition shot within 20 seconds. These metrics reflect a tendency to struggle under pressure, impacting his team’s defensive stability.
Grade
At the end of each player review, I will be giving a final grade on a scale of A1 to D – in order to give a consistent and clear final review of how I see Faye as a player now and where he could potentially end up.
The scale is as follows:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at this level
- B2 – Potential to be a strong player at this level
- C – Average for the level
- D – Below average for the level
Mikayil Faye Final Grade – A1
Final Thoughts
Overall, Faye looks to possess several of the key skills and attributes that coaches are looking for in a top-level central defender. His passing ability, press resistance, pace, strength and ball-carrying all stand out as attributes that could lead him to dominate in a well-organised defence. He has work to do in his match intelligence and aerial duels but a lot of this will come with experience and exposure to senior football.
As a left-footed player he presents an exciting option to several clubs and as a result, has already been linked with moves to Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Porto this summer with the Porto move that picked up the most traction with both O Jogo and Record noting that Faye had impressed scouts from the Portuguese giants who were looking to bolster the Dragões’ squad with youth ahead of the upcoming season.
I feel that a move to the Premier League would be too early for the youngster, especially given the demands of both Arsenal and United this coming season. However, Porto would represent a fantastic move for the 20-year-old, the chance to replace one of the greatest centre-backs in the country’s history, Pepe, and develop technically and mentally in Portugal before making his big-money move to the top level in 12-18 months.
I do believe however there is also a scenario in which he remains at Barcelona. Should the Spanish giants look to cash in on a successful loan spell for Eric Garcia and with rumours the club are already looking to part ways with Iñigo Martínez this would create an opening for Faye as one of the only naturally left-footed central defenders at the club.
We have already seen, in the form of Pau Cubarsí, how well Barcelona B defenders can step up to La Liga, however, with Barcelona now under the reigns of Hansi Flick and not Xavi, it remains to be seen how the integration of youth players to the first team will work moving forward.
By: Liam Stewart / @LiamAStewart
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / David Ramos / Getty Images