Abarkane, who was born in Olot to a Moroccan family, joined the club from Girona in the summer of 2024 and has gone on to feature for the Under-16 side before making his debut with the Juvenil B.
His renewal is not routine. Barcelona view him as a strategic long-term investment, with coaches at La Masia identifying left back as his natural position — though the teenager has shown he can operate in five different roles within the club's 4-3-3 system, including as an interior midfielder, winger, and right-sided midfielder.
He started out at Escola de Fútbol de Tosca and Gimnàstic Manresa before moving to Girona, and has been compared internally to Alejandro Balde for his pace, power in transition and the quality of his left foot. Where Abarkane adds something of his own is in verticality — he is a direct player who can break lines at speed and unsettle more compact defences.
Before representing Spain at Under-16 level, Abarkane had played for Morocco's Under-15 side, reflecting his dual identity. That journey mirrors those of Ilias Akhomach and Lamine Yamal, both of Catalan-Moroccan background, both products of La Masia. The question around Abarkane is whether he becomes the next name in that lineage.
His generation at the club — the class of 2010 — is led by Artem Rybak, Hugo Garcés and Ruslan Mba, but Abarkane is considered one of its most complete prospects in terms of physical and technical profile.
The combination of speed, a powerful left foot, positional flexibility and the ability to contribute in multiple phases of play gives his coaches a tool that is difficult to categorise and difficult to defend.
Barcelona's decision to hand him his first professional deal signals that, whatever role he eventually settles into, they have no intention of allowing him to develop elsewhere.