Barcelona’s youth academy: There is more to La Masia than just producing quality footballers

Next
Gen

In
addition
to
Guardiola
and
Messi,
the
likes
of
current
Barcelona
coach
Xavi
Hernandez,
Andres
Iniesta
and
Sergio
Busquets
have
all
passed
through
its
doors,
making
it
a
key
factor
in
the
club’s
unprecedented
success
both
at
La
Liga
and
in
Europe
in
recent
years.

In
the
last
couple
of
years,
the
latest
generation
of
La
Masia
youth
players
has
exploded
onto
the
scene,
providing
great
hope
for
Barcelona
fans.

Fati,
the
new
flag-bearer

The
great
standard-bearer
is
Ansu
Fati,
second
in
the
2020
Golden
Boy
award
and
a
forward
who
has
already
broken
a
multitude
of
precocious
records.
And
he
is
not
alone,
coming
through
the
ranks
together
with
the
likes
of
Alex
Balde,
Nico
Gonzalez,
Gavi,
etc.

Players
are
schooled
in
the
iconic
possession-based
style
of
football
which
has
become
synonymous
with
the
club
over
the
years,
promoting
a
sense
of
collective
creativity
made
possible
only
by
a
true
understanding
of
the
structure
and
requirements
of
the
system.

More
than
an
academy

The
club
places
great
importance
on
ensuring
that
football
does
not
interfere
with
the
players’
educational
development,
as
is
so
often
the
case
in
this
industry,
and
residents
maintain
full
school
commitments
while
at
the
academy.

The
club
employs
its
own
medical
staff
at
La
Masia,
ensuring
that
residents
are
provided
with
tailored
nutritional
programmes
and
medical
care,
and
specialist
kitchen
staff.

Extra-curricular
development

It
even
organises
a
variety
of
cultural
events
with
parents,
including
conferences
and
theatre
visits,
emphasising
the
importance
of
extra-curricular
development
and
teaches
youngsters
how
to
act
and
deal
with
social
media.

In
short,
the
philosophy
is
to
nurture
not
only
sporting
but
also
personal
and
educational
growth.