On 20 August 2026 Barcelona announced an agreement with UD Almería for the loan of Áron Yaakobishvili until 30 June 2027, with an option to buy for the Andalusian club. It is a second consecutive season away from Barcelona for a twenty-year-old goalkeeper who joined La Masia in 2018, and the best way to read the deal is to look at what a goalkeeper actually needs in order to develop.
The profile at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Player | Áron Yaakobishvili |
| Born | 6 March 2006 (20) |
| Place of birth | Budapest, Hungary |
| Position | Goalkeeper |
| Height | 1.87 m |
| At Barcelona’s academy since | 2018 |
| Barcelona contract | Until 2028 |
| 2025-26 | Loan at FC Andorra, 21 Segunda División appearances |
| 2026-27 | Loan at UD Almería, until 30 June 2027 |
| International | Hungary, 1 cap as of June 2026 |
Eight years at La Masia
Yaakobishvili joined Barcelona’s youth setup in 2018, aged twelve. It is worth keeping that date in mind, because it describes a player formed entirely inside one method rather than bought in when already finished.
His Barça Atlètic debut came in September 2024. Second-team appearances stayed few, which is normal for a goalkeeper: where outfield players learn their unit’s movements by playing, a keeper learns by standing in goal, and each team has exactly one place available.
In July 2025 the club extended him until 2028 and sent him on loan to FC Andorra in the Segunda División. Those two decisions should be read together: the extension says Barcelona regard him as an asset, the loan says they have no room to play him.
The Andorra season, which is the evidence
The year in the Segunda is the first real piece of his career. He made his professional debut on 17 August 2025 against UD Las Palmas, won the starting place quickly and finished with 21 league appearances.
Public season statistics credit him with three clean sheets and a save percentage around seventy per cent. Those numbers deserve caution, because a goalkeeper’s output depends heavily on how exposed his defence is: in a team that concedes many shots, a good save percentage coexists with many goals against, and the reverse is equally true.
What the data says more reliably is something else: he played. Twenty-one professional matches at nineteen is the kind of exposure no training session replaces.
What kind of goalkeeper he is
Physically Yaakobishvili stands 1.87 metres. In contemporary football, where several first-choice keepers are past 1.90, that is an average height rather than an advantage.
The trait public profiles flag as characteristic is his use of both feet. It looks like a technical footnote and is in fact structural: a keeper who plays with either foot does not need to turn to open up his weak side, and that changes the timing of the first phase of build-up. In a league where teams press goal kicks, half a second gained on the first touch is the difference between an open passing lane and a long clearance.
What this analysis leaves out are judgements on reflexes, on claiming crosses and on command of the box, which would require direct observation and cannot be derived from season totals. Saying so is more honest than filling the space.
Why another loan
The obvious question is why Barcelona do not keep him. The answer lies in the structure of the position: a first-team squad carries three goalkeepers, and the third does not play. For a twenty-year-old, a year as third choice is a year lost in development terms, while a season as a starter in the Segunda counts as a full year of education.
The purchase option for Almería, described by Spanish media as covering a share of the player’s rights, is what makes this deal different from the previous loan. The financial detail has not been published by the clubs, so it should be treated as an indication.
The logic, though, is clear: Barcelona keep a contractual link until 2028 and let somebody else do the developing, with the calculated risk that Almería, if the boy improves, decide to buy.
What to watch this season
The first indicator is not statistical but about selection: if Yaakobishvili starts and stays a starter across the season, the loan has worked regardless of goals conceded. The second is the number of balls he plays with his feet, which will show how far Almería intend to use him as the first builder.
The third, and the hardest to measure, is how he carries on after a mistake. That is the moment when a twenty-year-old goalkeeper truly reveals himself, and no profile sheet can predict it.
Data and information gathered from public sources: FC Barcelona’s official communication of 20 August 2026, Spanish sports media, public season statistics and biographical archives. The financial terms of the loan are those reported by the press and should be read as indications.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Áron Yaakobishvili?
A Hungarian goalkeeper born in Budapest on 6 March 2006, 1.87 metres tall, in Barcelona's academy since 2018. He had one senior Hungary cap as of June 2026.
Where does he play in 2026-27?
At UD Almería in the Segunda División. Barcelona announced the loan agreement on 20 August 2026, running until 30 June 2027, with an option to buy for the Andalusian club.
How did his season at Andorra go?
He became the starter and finished with 21 Segunda División appearances. Public season statistics credit him with three clean sheets and a save percentage of around seventy per cent.
What kind of goalkeeper is he?
A 1.87 metre keeper, so not a giant by current standards for the position, whom public profiles list as comfortable with both feet. That is the sort of trait that now weighs as heavily in goalkeeper selection as height does.
When does his Barcelona contract expire?
In 2028: the club extended him before sending him on loan to Andorra. The Almería loan includes a purchase option, described by Spanish media as covering a share of the player's rights, but the financial detail has not been published by the clubs.
