FC Barcelona loans Canadian Ballou Tabla to Albacete in Spain’s second tier

BARCELONA, Spain — FC Barcelona has sent Canadian international Ballou Tabla out on loan to Albacete in the Spanish second division until the end of the season.

The 19-year-old attacking midfielder from Montreal had been playing for Barcelona’s B team in the second tier.

Tabla’s move to Barcelona from the Montreal Impact was completed in January 2018.

Ballou, who was born in Ivory Coast but raised in Montreal, joined the Impact academy in August 2012. He joined the Impact first team in October 2016.

At 17 years, 338 days, he became the youngest Impact player to take part in an MLS game when he took the field in San Jose on March 4, 2017. Tabla played in 21 games (11 starts) for the Impact in 2017, recording two goals and two assists with 1,146 minutes played.

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Tabla has been in Canada camps from under-15 to under-20 and played five games for Canada at the CONCACAF U-17 Championship in 2015. He was named Canada’s under-17 player of the year in 2014 and won under-20 honours in 2016.

He has two caps at the senior level.

The Canadian Press