Sergiño Dest Makes Debut for Barcelona as First American Player

BARCELONA, Spain — Sergiño Dest made his debut for Barcelona on Sunday, becoming the first American to play in a Spanish league match for the club.

The defender went on in the 75th minute of Sunday’s game against Sevilla at Camp Nou with the score tied 1-1. He replaced left-back Jordi Alba.

Dest signed a five-year contract for Barcelona on Thursday. Barcelona paid Ajax 21 million euros (around $25 million), plus an additional 5 million euros ($5.8 million) in add-ons, to acquire the 19-year-old Dest.

Another American, Konrad de la Fuente, who is in Barcelona’s reserve team, played with the first team during the preseason.