Junior Firpo is in a unique position with Leeds United. When he was brought in for £12-M from Barcelona last summer, many thought that he would be their full-time starting left-back following Ezgjan Alioski’s exit. But so far, he has yet to live up to his promise in the Premier League.
Time is still on his side, though, since he’s just 25 years old. And he’ll get his chance to prove himself now that he’s thrusted into the starting XI for the time being due to injuries to their key players.
How Firpo will fare in these next few weeks remains a mystery, but Leeds United would need some great performances from him since they’re super close to confirm their English top-flight status for at least one more season.
Join us today as SBOTOP takes a look at the young Dominican’s football career so far – from his beginnings all the way to his arrival at Elland Road.
Firpo showed early promise in Spain
Junior Firpo was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and his family moved to Malaga at the age of six. Upon moving to Spain, Firpo played for different local teams such as Atletico Benamiel, Tiro Pichon, and Puerto Malagueno before joining Real Betis’ youth setup.
Many believed that he was an all-around athlete since he also played basketball and baseball. Eventually, he made his senior debut with the reserves during Real Betis’ 1-1 home draw against Granada B in the Segunda Division. Firpo scored his first senior goal in 2016 during their 4-0 away victory against Algeciras.
One year later, Junior Firpo was signed until 2021 for Real Betis’ first team and became the first Dominican Republic-born player to play in La Liga after starting in a 1-0 away loss against Deportivo La Coruna.
He scored his first professional goal on 2018 against Espanyol. In the 2018/19 campaign, he notched five assists and three goals in his 29 appearances for Real Betis and was even called into Spain’s U-21 team where he helped them win the 2019 UEFA European U-21 title.
Because of his steady progression as a regular starter at the Estadio Benito Villamarin, he was given another contract extension by Real Betis until 2023.
Turbulent spell in Catalonia
Fast forward to 2019, Junior Firpo signed a five-year, €18-M deal with Barcelona and he made his debut in their 5-2 home win against his former club Real Betis.
Junior Firpo scored his first Barca goal against Getafe and he made his Champions League debut during the Blaugrana’s 3-1 group stage win over Borussia Dortmund.
However, in stark contrast with his time at Real Betis, Junior Firpo was frozen to the bench as Barcelona favoured playing Jordi Alba more at the starting left-back position. It didn’t help either that Barca were unstable back then since they had three different managers under the leadership of former president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
He wasn’t particularly happy with the way he was treated at Camp Nou, especially when former manager Ronald Koeman cited him as a “bad influence” in the dressing room, which was the main reason why he wasn’t given much playing time.
“I reached a point where I lost my enthusiasm for football and I realised the importance of family,” lamented Firpo back then.
Junior Firpo finished his Barca stint with 41 total appearances and one Copa del Rey trophy before moving on to Elland Road in 2021.
He’s still finding his footing in West Yorkshire
Junior Firpo started his Leeds United career pretty much the same as his time with Barcelona, minus the locker room turmoil. With Luke Ayling or Stuart Dallas often listed as their starting left-back, Junior Firpo’s opportunities to show what he’s got have only come few and far between.
So far, he has only one assist and zero goals and he has struggled to make an influence on both ends for the Whites. But with Stuart Dallas sidelined due to a broken leg against Manchester City, Leeds have no choice but to lean on Junior Firpo to bring his A-game for their final four matches.
Leeds are dragged back into the relegation mix following Everton and Burnley’s wins this past matchday, and they’ll need to get positive Premier League 2022 results with Arsenal and Chelsea up next. This is Junior Firpo’s chance to prove why Leeds got him in the first place. And if he can prove his worth, that would surely boost Leeds’ Premier League 2022 odds of maintaining their top-flight status beyond this term, which would surely endear himself to the Leeds faithful.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
