Gavi made a tackle with head in Barcelona win and Puyol absolutely loved it

The 18-year-old returned to Xavi's starting XI having been suspended for Barca's previous clash against Valencia last weekend.

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Gavi continues to provide the skill and guile beyond his tender years, and is not afraid to put his body on the line for his team.

The teenager could be seen producing a hospital-style challenge using his head to stop Athletic Bilbao midfielder Dani Garcia from making a forward pass.

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LaLigaTV posted the footage on Twitter, captioning the clip: "Gavi putting his literal head on the line for Barça."

However, the youngster wasn't finished there, he again used his head, this time trying to prevent Raul Garcia from getting to the ball first.

Barcelona legend Carles Puyol, who was known for putting his body on the line, lauded the teenager following his tenacious challenges, and was clearly impressed with what he was seeing.

Taking to Twitter, Puyol simply wrote "Gavi", followed by three raising hand emojis.

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Barcelona won the game with a late first-half strike from Raphinha, enough for the Catalans to come away with three points.

The Brazilian, who joined the club in a £55million move from Leeds United last summer, fired the ball home with his right-foot.

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Barca remain nine points ahead of arch rivals Real Madrid at the top of the LaLiga standings following their victory at San Mames.

The Catalan giants host Los Blancos in their next clash at the Camp Nou, with Carlo Ancelotti's troops looking to narrow the gap to just six points.