Just as the first team should ask where they’d be without Marc-André ter Stegen, Barcelona’s UEFA Youth League squad could ask the same about their goalkeeper Arnau Tenas. 20-year-old Iñaki Peña is next in line at the position, but 17-year-old Tenas isn’t too far behind.
Born on May 30, 2001 in Vic, an ancient Catalan city known for its thick fog and freezing temperatures in the winter, Arnau Tenas Ureña was raised about an hour from the Camp Nou. He got his first experiences as a goalkeeper at local side Vic Riuprimer REFO before joining La Masia alongside his brother Marc. While forward Marc has since made the move to Atlético Madrid’s youth set-up via Cornellá, Arnau has been a standout performer for Barcelona since his Benjamín A days back in the 2010-11 season, his first at the club.
He has long been a fixture in Spain’s youth national teams. He debuted for the Spain U-17s in 2017 and started all four matches for the side at the UEFA European U-17 Championship before getting call-ups to the U-18s and U-19s. He made the bench a few times during the U-19 Euro qualifiers back in October of 2018, but his patience paid off with his U-19 debut in a February friendly against Azerbaijan and starts in the most recent international window for Euro qualifiers against Wales and the Netherlands; both wins.
The Spanish youth international is making a name for himself in the current UEFA Youth League campaign, starting all eight games for the side and posting two clean sheets. Through the 3-2 quarter-final win against Lyon, he has only conceded eight goals in those eight matches. If Barcelona can continue to progress in the tournament, it will only help to raise the young keeper’s profile.
Standing just over 1.85 meters (6-feet) but still growing, Tenas uses his quick reflexes and steely demeanor to his advantage. He is calm under pressure and is praised for his vocal leadership at the back. Having just made his Barcelona B debut this past weekend against CD Teruel, a 2-1 win for the squad, Tenas is excelling at a position with a ton of competition.
