![]() At Barcelona, winning championships is in the DNA of the Catalan club and they’ll be looking for a return to the top of the La Liga table. FC Barcelona were a solitary victory away from being crowned champions in the 2016-17 season, finishing a paltry 3 points behind their fierce rivals Real Madrid. As ever with FC Barcelona, the future looks bright and their famed La Masia training academy seems set to continue its success of turning gifted youngsters into first team players with an impressive set of soccer skills. What is La Masia? La Masia de Can Planes is the world class youth training facility for FC Barcelona. It is perhaps the most famous training academy in world soccer, having produced some of the greatest soccer players to grace the turf of the Camp Nou in generations: Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Lionel Messi. The Barcelona Academy really shot to prominence in 2012 when FC Barcelona was able to field a fully homegrown soccer team, an incredible achievement in what has become a truly global sport. Here’s what Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta said about La Masia: “It was never easy to leave my family when I was just 12. It was a hard journey, but all that sacrifice was worth it because my dream of being a success at Barcelona came true.” The “Football Factory” La Masia has done more than produce soccer players just for FC Barcelona. There are more La Masia graduates playing top flight soccer in Europe, than from any other academy. Players such as Pepe Reina, Thiago Motta and Thiago Alcantara have all gone on to have successful careers away from Catalunya. Often these players are sold for substantial sums of money and go to play for big clubs like Bayern Munich or Manchester United – and then Barcelona will often try to buy them back if they can later in the players career. It usually turns out to be a winning strategy for the club. Learn more about La Masia and see pictures of the training fields here: La Masia “Youngsters need opportunities — everyone needs time,” former Barcelona player Guillermo Amor told The Associated Press. “With all conditions being equal, a homegrown player has a better chance than one who comes in from abroad. Players like Xavi and Iniesta took 10 years to get to where they are.” Global Soccer Expansion FC Barcelona are never ending in their quest for sporting dominance. So it’s no surprise that they’ve expanded their youth operations onto U.S. soil. The club runs soccer academies in locations throughout the states, offering trials and training schools to youth players. The exercise is about more than just finding players though, as FC Barcelona looks to tap into the fastest growing market in soccer. The Future Soccer Stars So, who can we count on to make the jumps from youth academy to the bench, then onto becoming a first team regular? First up is Munir El Haddadi. The young winger is highly rated and spent last season on loan at Valencia having made 15 total La Liga appearances for FCB in the 2015/16 season. Other players looking to make the leap are midfielders Sergi Samper and Carles Alena, whilst Wilfrid Kaptoum and Marc Cardona will look to make into league match day squads having been restricted to Copa Del Rey. Conclusion With a famed soccer academy and expansion into new territories, FC Barcelona look set to continue their history of blooding young first team soccer players from the bench, into the first team. They’ll hope that these youngsters will see the football club returning to its championship winning ways not just this year but for years to come. |
Related Post
Women Rush Italian Training Session
I’ve never seen this before. I’ve seen fans rush the field, the classic streekers rushing on the pitch, but haven’t…
Barcelona Versus Villarreal Highlights
12/20/08 Barcelona overcomes a tough, fighting Villarreal side, who score first but can’t hold of an on fire Barcelona side.…
Bojan Krkic Goal
Bojan Krkic Goal A nice cross to Henry who lays the ball back perfectly for Bojan. A defender rushes at…
Barcelona Versus Lyon Highlights
Barcelona Versus Lyon Highlights 3/11/09 There’s a great opening shot of the Camp Nou before the game starts, from the…
The Worst Miss Ever in the History of Soccer
The history of soccer is long, but this is probably the worst missed chance of all-time. Qatar’s Khalfan Fahad, who…
Featured
Popular
-
Kevin De Bruyne’s Header Starts Goal Scoring Play
January 4, 2021 -
Arat Hosseini Training with Liverpool Youth Academy
January 11, 2021 -
Pep Guardiola Says Team Needs to Walk
January 13, 2021
Recent
-
Lionel Messi’s First Red Card Ever Playing For Barcelona
January 18, 2021 -
Tanguy Ndombele’s Incredible Goal for Spurs
January 17, 2021 -
Pep Guardiola Says Team Needs to Walk
January 13, 2021