Barcelona’s Next La Masia Gem

Barcelona have long been renowned for producing world-class players through their La Masia academy. The likes of Cesc Fabregas, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and of course, FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, have all come through the excellent youth system in Catalonia. And while it’s certainly saved Barcelona a lot of money in transfer fees, they have also gone about utilising their players to help win them several trophies. But what makes Barcelona click is the unity around the club. The club’s saying mes que un club, which translates to ‘more than a club’, indicates that the whole nurturing process in Spain is key for explaining why Barcelona’s production line are so successful.Players such as Messi and Iniesta have described how at the young age of 15, when they were both missing their family, the club flew in their parents and offered them accomodation to help the youngsters overcome their homesickness. A gesture such as this doesn’t happen too often in footbal

l, with players either being told to toughen up or leave if they can’t handle the pressure of being away from home. But Barcelona seem to know when they see a talent, when they see the potential, and so they make sure that the player is kept happy at all costs. Perhaps that’s why they paid £10,000 for a 14-year-old Lionel Messi to have growth injection, as at 4ft 5, they feared he would be too small to become a footballer, despite his amazing talent. It seems that whoever gave the go-ahead to those £10,000 injections is in line for a huge pay-rise, because Messi has gone on to become one of the greatest players of all time.

But the fear at Barcelona is that with money being an influential factor on the game these days, rising stars may be tempted by the riches of Chelsea and Man City. Since Cesc Fabregas left the club to join Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2003, no fewer than 15 youth products have turned down professional deals to move elsewhere. A shocking statistic, given the stature of Barcelona and the quality of their youth academy. But Fabregas shed some light on why he moved, saying that with Guardiola, Xavi and Cocu in the midfield, he didn’t feel he could get in the team. Perhaps it was a wise move, given that he has established himself as a world-class playmaker at Arsenal. But now Fabregas is said to be waiting desperately for a move back to Barcelona, as the Spanish giants mull over whether to spend big on Fabregas or Udinese’s Chilean winger Alexis Sanchez, who is on the verge of completing a £37 million move to the Camp Nou.

But do they actually need Fabregas?

Perhaps. But coach Pep Guardiola has moved to extend midfield starlet Thiago Alcantara, one of the most impressive players of the U-21 Championships last month, onto a long-term contract to fend off interest from Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal. Thiago, 20, was said to be considering his future after the club made 2 bids for Fabregas, and Thiago knows that if the diminutive playmaker made the long-awaited move, his days would be numbered with Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets forming a formidable midfield-three. But, after talks with Guardiola, Thiago has opted to sign a double-your-wages deal to see him stay at least until 2015. So the intentions of Guardiola is that if he misses out on Fabregas, he has Thiago waiting in the wings who could arguably be as good as the Arsenal midfielder.

The son of Brazil World Cup Winner Maizinho, Thiago is Italian, Brazillian and Spanish, so he can play for any of the following countries. But it is rumoured he is set on playing for Spain after helping their U-21 side to the European Championship title in Denmark. And he is one of many bright prospects at the Camp Nou. Here, I evaluate just how good they really are, and what can we expect from them in the future:

Sergi Samper
16 years old
Spanish 

Sergi Samper is being tipped to hit the big-time at the Camp Nou after some stunning performances for the youth side. Seen as the next Xavi due to his fantastic vision and execution of a pass, he is also very good defensively, making him an ideal box-to-box midfielder for Barcelona. The Catalan giants won’t have to worry about Samper moving abroad though; he’s pledged his future to his dream club, snubbing the advances of Arsenal in the process. He has represented Spain at U-17 level, and could well be one for Spain’s Russia 2018 squad if he continues to impress, although Brazil looks too early for the starlet.

                                                                                                                                                                         Gael Etock
17 years old
Cameroonian 

Etock is the new Samuel Eto’o; there is no argument about it. The pacy striker is lanky but very agile, and has an amazing eye for goal, notching 28 goals for Barcelona’s youth side last season. Obviously a player with his potential is going to gain interest from around the globe, but like Samper, Etock has vowed to be a success at the Camp Nou and emulate former striker Eto’o’s famous goalscoring records at the Catalan club.

Hector Bellerin
16 years old
Spanish 

Unfortunately for Barcelona, promising striker Bellerin has decided to snub their offer of a professional deal and follow Jon Miguel Harper Toral to North London, where he has signed a pre-contract deal for a 5-year pro contract. Bellerin formed a great partnership with Etock last season, scoring less but assisting more, showing the likeness to David Villa, and like Samper is a regular in Spain’s U-17 side. Bellerin may be able to make the mark at Arsenal, but Barca chiefs are furious at his decision to turn his back on the club where he’d been since he was 7.

                                                                                                                                                                    Gerard Deulofeu
17 years old
Spanish 

Deulofeu is a wanted man after becoming the latest sensation on the wing for Spain. Similar to Spain winger Jesus Navas, Deulofeu has tremendous pace and when dribbling, the ball doesn’t go far from his feet. He has a decent scoring record, 6 goals in 20 appearances for Spain U-17’s, including 3 goals in the Euro Championships last year, impressing Arsenal and Chelsea scouts who were watching. This then saw him promoted to the U-19’s at just 16 years of age, and earlier this year saw himself placed on the bench for Barcelona’s 2-1 loss at Real Sociedad. And despite not coming on, it shows the faith Guardiola has in the talented winger, and if he can break through like Thiago Alcantara, there are high hopes for Deulofeu.

Sergi Gomez
19 years old
Spanish

Gomez, unlike Deulofeu, did make his Barcelona debut last season. Granted, he is two years older, but there is excitement in the Barcelona camp that Gomez could be fast-tracked along with Marc Muniesa to the first-team in the not too distant future. With Carles Puyol now 33, Gomez is being lined up as his long-term replacement, and Gomez certainly fits the bill. He’s been a regular in all of the youth teams, and it won’t be too long before he makes the U-21 squad.