Ansu Fati: Barcelona loanee sets Ligue 1 record with incredible Monaco start

Spanish prodigy Ansu Fati has rekindled his career in Ligue 1 with Monaco and has now set a French top-flight record, after scoring five goals in three games. 

The La Masia graduate scored his five league goals in only 126 minutes, less than two full games. That is the quickest any player has reached five Ligue 1 goals since 1948. 

He eclipsed the likes of Johan Audel, who scored five goals in 137 minutes for Valenciennes during the 2007/08 season, and Emmanuel Riviere, who hit the mark in 174 minutes for Monaco in the 2013/14 season. 

Fati's five league goals place him as the top scorer in the division, underscoring his clinical nature, albeit with three of those goals coming from the penalty spot. 

The 22-year-old was projected as a future superstar when he broke out as a 16-year-old debutant in 2019. He has a meteoric rise, coming second in the 2020 Golden Boy awards. 

However, his career dipped shortly after, as he suffered repeated injuries. He has been in and out of Barcelona and even had a stint in the Premier League with Brighton. 

Showing no signs of returning to his best form, Barcelona were prepared to cut their losses this summer. He joined Monaco on a season-long loan deal, with the principality-based club retaining an option to make the deal permanent. 

Monaco delayed Fati’s debut, a source of concern for many admirers of the player. However, according to reports, they placed him under a special training plan to help him build up his fitness and confidence. 

That plan seems to have worked to the desired effect, as the Spain international has recovered some of his sharpness in front of goal, scoring six goals so far in all competitions.