Watch Shane Kluivert score the most controversial goal of the season for Barcelona Under-16s — but is it fair?

Shane Kluivert drives away celebrating a goal. Credit: TikTok

Patrick Kluivert's son, Shane, who plays for Barcelona's youth team, scores one of the most controversial goals of the season against Crystal Palace Under-16s.

Kluivert scores as the entire Palace youth team, including the goalkeeper, is taking a drink break after an injury to one of Barcelona's youth players. The goal came in a 4-0 victory for Barcelona in the Mediterranean International Cup, a youth tournament on the Costa Brava, in a video released on Sunday.

After an unnamed Barcelona player was fouled, it looks like the young Palace players are heading to the pitch's dugout to fetch water while their opponent is recovering. The Barça youth then appears to get back on his feet and walk off the pitch, leaving the game to restart while all 11 members of the English youth team were off the pitch.

A quick pass from the goalkeeper, believed to be Jordi Saucedo Avarom, starts a move that ends with Kluivert running half the field and scoring into the empty net as the Palace players watch in confusion. The goal gave Barcelona a 3-0 lead and dashed any hopes of a Palace comeback.

Mientras el equipo competes with está en el banquillo, el Barça aprovecha para counter un gol a puerta vacía. Los #valors que te enseñan en La Masía. #MesQueUnClub pic.twitter.com/2DdJjjpqHWT

— Hernandez Culerdo (@Hernandezcule_) April 22, 2023

Viewers are likely to be divided as to whether this represents the quick wits of Kluivert and his Barcelona teammates ”or evidence that Barcelona graduates from La Masia are trained in the dark arts of the game. Palace's path to the semi-finals included an impressive 3–1 group stage win over their Juventus counterparts and a penalty shoot-out victory over Marseille in the quarter-finals.

But their attempts to win the MIC tournament failed in the semi-finals in Girona. The semi-final was played on April 8, but only now, when the footage has appeared, the goal has become the subject of close attention. Kluivert scored twice in this win, with up-and-coming stars Oscar Ferreno and Juan Hernandez Torres completing the win.

The Dutch youth, whose older brother Justin is an Roma striker, first made headlines in 2017 when he signed with Nike at the age of nine.