"This is who Bellingham thinks he is", "Absolutely cooking everyone today" - Fans hail 'top class' Barcelona star after 7-1 win over Valencia

Barcelona fans on X have waxed lyrical about Fermin Lopez after his outstanding performance during their 7-1 win over Valencia. The two sides locked horns in LaLiga on Sunday, January 26, at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

La Blaugrana grabbed the lead inside three minutes via Frenkie de Jong's clinical finish. Ferran Torres found the top corner in the 8th minute before Fermin Lopez brilliantly played in Raphinha, who made no mistake to make it 3-0 six minutes later.

Lopez then got on the scoresheet in the 24th minute after unleashing an unstoppable effort into the top-right corner following Pau Cubarsi's assist. The former then completed his brace right before half-time, tapping home to hand Barcelona a dominant five-goal lead.

Hugo Duro pulled one back for Valencia (59') but their momentum was quickly shut down when Lopez slipped in Robert Lewandowski, who finished well in the 66th minute. Cesar Tarrega then scored an own-goal, resulting in Barcelona securing a 7-1 win.

Lopez was named the Player of the Match, receiving a match rating of 9.1, per FotMob. He scored two goals, provided two assists, and created three chances. In addition, the 21-year-old attacking midfielder won eight duels, completed four dribbles from an attempted five, and landed both his shots on target.

One fan compared him to Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham:

"This is who Bellingham thinks he is."

Another fan tweeted:

"Fermin took some kind of a pill today. He’s absolutely cooking everyone today."

Other fans reacted below:

"We got Olympic games Fermin today, baller," one fan commented

"Fermin Lopez delivered a top-notch performance!" another added

"Fermin Lopez didn't score a goal or assist in the first half of the season but still has more g/a than Camavinga and Dani Ceballos combined," one fan pointed out

"Fermin is a top class player. I just don’t know why he’s not picking.. maybe he’ll in another team," another questioned

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"I also needed a match like this" - Barcelona youngster Fermin Lopez makes honest admission following 7-1 over Valencia

Barcelona star Fermin Lopez has admitted he needed a "match like this" to boost his confidence after he registered four goal contributions during their 7-1 win over Valencia.

Lopez has struggled for game time this season under Hansi Flick, after missing seven games across competitions due to a muscle injury. Prior to tonight's clash, the 21-year-old had garnered one goal and three assists in 20 games across all competitions, playing just 745 minutes.

Following the game, Lopez said (via @BarcaUniversal on X):

"I also needed a match like this, for confidence."

Barcelona are currently third in the LaLiga standings with 42 points from 21 games, seven points behind leaders Real Madrid, and three behind second-placed Atletico Madrid.