Jaume Jardí Poyato was born April 7, 2002 in nearby Reus. His first club was local side Escola de la Pastoreta where he reportedly wanted to play as a goalkeeper. Due to his diminutive size, he was kept out of net and instead played up top. His attempts to reach La Masia had to wait however as he was unsuccessful in convincing during two different trials at a young age. He opted for CF Reus Deportiu and made a big leap in his second season there.
His second season at Reus made him the target of Barcelona, Valencia, Real Madrid and Espanyol. While playing in a friendly tournament for Valencia with a broken finger, he earned the opportunity to head to Madrid to sign for one of Spain’s giants. Instead of signing for Los Blancos, however, Jardí chose to join La Masia and began working with the Cadet B for the 2016-17 season. He didn’t necessarily shine at Cadet B level, but the following season with Cadet A he scored 21 goals in the league. This sparkling campaign earned him a contract renewal and a promotion to Juvenil B.
Jardí will most likely play a significant role in the UEFA Youth League campaign next season as his role this year was limited to a spot on the substitutes bench for the team’s 2-0 loss to Tottenham. He may also see his role expand for his national team as well, getting a recent call-up to the Spain U-17s following an earlier call-up to the Spain U-16s. In the meantime, he has played for Catalonia’s U-18 squad alongside fellow La Masia products Alex Sala, Oriol Soldevilla and Raúl Moro.
He may have the ability to play all along the front three, but he is generally utilized as a left-footed left winger who cuts in and is quite the threat in the penalty box. At Cadet A, he was the Robin to Pablo Moreno’s Batman, but he has blossomed since his fellow attacker went to Juventus as the leader of Juvenil B’s attack. Jardí leads Juvenil B with fifteen goals and five assists, matching Moro’s fifteen goals and trailing just Soldevila and Mika Mármol in assists. He has also earned a chance with Juvenil A this season, picking up an assist. There are a few players in front of the 16-year-old in the winger pecking order at La Masia, but if his career is any indication, he has a good chance to continue exceeding expectations.
