Dani Olmo isn’t just an NBA fan—he’s also a dedicated chess player. “Tactics, knowledge, concentration... and a bit of escape, because when you play chess, you can’t think about anything else,” he explained in an interview with El Mundo last June. It’s also about patience and anticipation. All the skills needed to play as a false 9, a hybrid position that requires vision and selflessness, as it’s about making others shine before yourself.
The false 9 is as old as football itself—1910, with the Uruguayan José Piendibene at Peñarol and for La Celeste, as analyzed by author Martí Perarnau in his “Tactical Evolution of Football from 1863 to 1945.” Football keeps reinventing itself, and Spain now produces more midfielders than pure number 9s. Barça has often used this tactic with Cesc Fàbregas and, of course, Lionel Messi. In the 2026 version, Olmo seems perfectly suited to take over.
Tailor-made role
Barça is searching for a high-profile striker for next season. Robert Lewandowski is nearing the end of his contract, and even if he extends for another year as Joan Laporta wants, he can no longer play every match. Ferran Torres has good stats (16 goals in all competitions), but his current form isn’t favorable. At one point, Dusan Vlahovic was considered, especially since the Serbian’s contract at Juventus was expiring, but he’s expected to renew, showing only moderate interest from the Catalan board.
Other profiles could be appealing: Lautaro Martínez, Julián Álvarez, or even Mohamed Salah. But maybe the solution is already at Barça. The idea has been brewing since his arrival in January 2025: Olmo as a false 9. Deco already mentioned it in an interview with La Vanguardia. The sporting director remembers: Olmo’s performance in this role during the Euro 2021 semi-final against Italy—despite elimination—brought solutions to the team’s play, including an assist for Álvaro Morata. Before Euro 2024, journalist Juan Jiménez recalled that Olmo had also played as a false 9 with the U21s under... Luis de la Fuente, in 2019. That was against Kazakhstan, and the Catalan scored.
Olmo has all the right attributes: intelligent positioning, inside play, understanding of his teammates’ movements, passing quality, and quick thinking and execution. With his ability to drop deep and drift wide, he creates gaps and numerical superiority by drawing central defenders out. Against compact defensive blocks, this can be much more effective than simply crossing to a tightly marked striker.
Bringing Raphinha and Lamine Yamal closer to goal
In an interview with Diario Sport last February, Olmo summed up his approach to the game—he’s also a huge consumer of matches: “I’m comfortable under pressure. Even before I receive the ball, or even if I don’t get it, I analyze the space, the positioning of the players, especially the center-backs, usually the closest ones, and I move accordingly. I know my teammates’ qualities, I know who can pass to me, I position myself around them and wait for my moment.”
In this sense, his connection with Eric García’s direct passes (they share the same personal fitness coach) and his on- and off-field chemistry with Pedri and Fermín López are strong arguments in his favor. Another reason to make this move clear, even permanent: it would give Raphinha and Lamine Yamal much more freedom, especially to finish attacking moves closer to the box, but also to help with defensive transitions.
This is where the work done at La Masia saves a coach a lot of time. Marc Bernal is a defensive midfielder, but during his years at the Barça academy, he scored 280 goals in 286 matches. So he could play higher up the pitch when Olmo drops deep to collect the ball.
For analyst Albert Blaya Sensat, this positioning produced one of the best matches of the Flick era at Barça: the 2025 Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Betis. In that match, with a midfield trio of Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi, Olmo drew all the attention and, through his movement, alternately opened up the flanks, gave Pedri more time to make decisions, and provided depth for Raphinha—who often moved up front—and Lamine Yamal.
This ability to destabilize the opposition block was also evident against Newcastle. In the first leg, the Magpies took advantage of the lack of options, represented by Lewandowski and Ferran, to press high and aggressively. Olmo’s introduction even led to a crucial penalty in stoppage time.
Moreover, Barça has often had spells where Pedri and Lamine Yamal were too obvious as reference points. Repetition kills surprise. Even without a direct passing lane to him, Olmo can, just by positioning himself higher up the pitch, create one-on-one situations in the final third. In chess, you’d call that a gambit: setting a false trail to win a piece, or even checkmate.
By starting his football journey in Croatia and then Germany, Olmo took a risk by leaving Barça, only to return a few years later. Learning from new cultures now allows him to be a major tactical asset at a crucial point in the season, both for his club and for the national team.