Which of Barcelona’s youth prospects have the best chance to succeed?

Giovani Dos Santos (R) of Barcelona kisses his teammate Ronaldinho as he celebrates his goal during the UEFA Champions League Group E match between Barcelona and Stuttgart at the Camp Nou stadium on December 12, 2007 in Barcelona, Spain.

(Dec. 12, 2007 - Source: Jasper Juinen/Getty Images Sport)

A brief history of Barcelona’s impressive youth academy

FC Barcelona is a club that can only be described with three strong words; undisputed, unmatched, and remarkable. For the team to continue to flow and develop there is a need to develop young players and suit them well into the first team as some current players in the main squad will be reaching retirement age soon.

La Masia is a footballing residency that opened its doors to young players for talent development and it is renowned for producing world-class players, cons, and individuals that leave a mark on the football pitch that cannot be erased.  A former Barcelona player Pep Guardiola, who is now popularly regarded as a coach who builds up phenomenal teams in famous leagues like EPL and La Liga once said: "The player who has passed through La Masia has something different to the rest, it's a plus that only comes from having competed in a Barcelona shirt from the time you were a child."

For many years La Masia has emerged as fruitful grounds by producing exceptional players that find their way to the first team of Barcelona at a young age, and two notable examples are Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernandez who need no further details of explanation as they are well known worldwide even outside football circles.

For the past 10 years, after the transition of La Masia from its old location to a 20,000 square foot building, they have been able to attend to numerous young players for personal development and training. However, the culture, style of play and ethos has always remained the same at the club and very little effort is shown to make any changes. What’s commendable is how over the past years La Masia has been developing young players for life off the pitch through self-worth training, public speaking, interview handling, networking, personal brand management, savings and investment to mention but a few.

One of the key administrators of La Masia Academy said: “Personal growth is just as important as professional growth for our young players.” La Masia is greatly supported and imbued by a rich pool of quality coaches at the youth level, and this is similar to clubs such as Ajax and Paris-Saint-Germain. From the period of 2008 up to 2017, most players in the Barcelona main team came through the La Masia academy and in 2011, the first eleven was inundated with La Masia products including Gerald Pique, Andres Iniesta, and Cesc Fabregas. Everything was looking square shaped for the academy.

Changes began to happen when La Masia Academy faced a decrease in the number of graduates each year, as a result having an impact on the number of players to making it into the first team as some were not top-level players as required to grace a Barcelona first team jersey. In 2018, Valverde came under intense pressure when he put a full first eleven without any graduate from the La Masia academy. It was absolutely unorthodox and this was happening for the first time in 16 long years! It was vivid that there was a challenge with the system. It seems that only 1 out of 10 academy players make it to the first team or at least contribute to that level of competence.

So near yet so far recruits in recent memory

There are quite a number of recruits in the young team that could have had a huge influence in the main Barcelona team, namely the Dos Santos brothers.

Jonathan and Giovani Dos Santos were recruited from France and that is where Barcelona took interest and invited them for a trial which they both passed in 2008. Jonathan Dos Santos was included in the Barcelona B team by Louis Enrique and went on to be favored by Pep Guardiola during his early years as a coach at the club.

In October 2009, Jonathan Dos Santos made his debut when he appeared as a substitute against Cultural Leonesa. The same year he appeared as a substitute in a UEFA Champions League match against Inter Milan. Jonathan could not find a way in the first team permanently as he did not reach the highly expected performances from a typical Barcelona midfielder. He moved to Villarreal for three seasons and then finally joined an American club called LA Galaxy. As for his brother Giovani, it was difficult to succeed with the attacking quality Barcelona had, henceforth, he joined Tottenham in the summer of 2008. He failed dismally at the EPL side as he only managed 33 appearances in 4 years, with a record of 3 goals and only 3 assists. He moved to Villarreal where his game matured abruptly and after a few seasons of improving his resume, he quickly left to join his brother at LA Galaxy in 2015.

“In 2018, Valverde came under intense pressure when he put a full first eleven without any graduate from the La Masia academy. It was absolutely unorthodox and this was happening for the first time in 16 long years!”

— Farai Maringa, FirstTouch Africa

Sergi Samper of FC Barcelona runs with the ball during the UEFA Champions League Group F match between FC Barcelona and APOEL FC at the Camp Nou Stadium on September 17, 2014 in Barcelona, Spain.

(Sept. 16, 2014 - Source: David Ramos/Getty Images Europe)

Borjan Kirkic was one of the most prominent players during Giovani’s time at Barcelona and needless to say, he rose quickly compared to the Dos Santos brother and they were both competing for the same position. At 17 years old he made his debut in a Champions League match for Barcelona and some called him “the New Messi”. He had great agility, technique, and strength. He played alongside Ronaldinho, Xavi, and Samuel Eto’o. However, everything changed when he started suffering from depression. According to the Guardian, he clearly expressed that anxiety completely overwhelmed him and that’s when everything exploded and this affected his mental health. He hopped from club to club until he finally found his feet at Montreal Impact in the United States of America.

Another La Masia player who could not match the expectations and quality to be part of top-level Barcelona’s first team was Adama Traore, a man who sprints like a cheetah that never runs out of breath. He made his debut at age 17 after coming on as a substitute for Neymar. Traore is said to be the fastest player thus far with his pace reaching an impressive score of 96 on EA Sports’ FIFA. In 2014, he won the UEFA Youth League with Barcelona and this catapulted him for trial in the first team. However, after not being able to make it in the Barcelona team, he moved to Aston Villa and now Traore is playing for Wolves where he made great history in 2018 by accomplishing 248 successful dribbles that year, 58 more compared to Lionel Messi.

Dennis Suarez and Sergei Samper are also ex Barcelona young stars that left Las Masia and could not fit perfectly in the Barcelona first team. Apparently, Dennis Suarez is now playing for Celta De Vigo and Sergei Samper is making an impact at Vissel Kobe.

Barcelona’s hopes to continue the success of the first team is still under work and much hype is given to five key players namely, Riqui Puig, llaix Moriba, Oriol Busquets, Ansu Fati and Juan Miranda.

1. Riqu Puig

He is a massive midfielder with great articulation on dribbling, passing and possesses great skill mastery. He commenced his real career at Barcelona at a tender age playing under the under 16 team. He made his amazing debut with the Barcelona B team against the ever-revolving Gimnastic Tarragona in the 2017/2018 season. The debut performance attracted a lot of attention and it exuded a promising future to become one of the best footballers in the future. For the 2018/19 season, he will be playing for Barcelona B and hopefully, he will join the first team.

Riqui Puig of FC Barcelona runs with the ball during the Joan Gamper trophy friendly match between FC Barcelona and Arsenal at Nou Camp on August 04, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.

(Aug. 3, 2019 - Source: Getty Images Europe)

The notion that he will stay, however, is a mirage, and fans who would want him to stay may be disheartened as his future at Barcelona is not certain. According to rumors, Valverde mentioned that there is a lot of competition for his position at Barcelona, therefore he is not the first priority. Puig would be a great player coming from Las Masia and make waves in the first team, however, what the Barcelona coach said, implies that is not yet good enough.

Patrick Kluivert, the director of Barcelona youth football, insists that Puig should go for a loan in January despite the young man desiring to stay with the Catalan club. Henceforth, he is likely to move to a new side in the January 2020 transfers and who knows, he may attract the interest of other teams if he performs well.

2. IIaix Moriba

This is a player that is constantly likened to Manchester United’s Paul Pogba, not only because of his style of play, but also his looks and body stature.      

Born on 19 January 2003, the young man has been raised at La Masia academy and has great potential to make it to the first eleven of Barcelona. Looking at his age, when he reaches 20 years, most players like Lionel Messi will be aging and he will obviously have an upper hand to replacing some Barca giants who are reaching retirement age.

It is being said that he is the most paid player in the Barcelona B team, and he recently signed a three-year contract with the Catalan giants that will expire in 2022. Talking of the future? IIaix is certainly rising to the occasion with his massive dribbling skills, clever passes, and remarkable agility. Without a shadow of a doubt, he is the future of Barcelona’s midfield for the upcoming years if he maintains and even excels the current work ethic he possesses.

3. Oriol Busquets

The Dutchman, who is aged 20 years old, arrived at the age of 8 for development at the La Masia academy. He and IIaix Moriba can actually have a strong midfield cover if they are to be put in one team. Barcelona is showing that this young man is one of the hopes for Barcelona’s future midfield as he is being loaned to FC Twente with no option to buy.

He signed a contract with Barcelona until 2021 and if he performs exceptionally well, his future to be in the first eleven can be guaranteed. He has been a fixture in the first-team training and last season he was called up to participate in the Copa del Rey quarter-final game in the Camp Nou and the team won 2- 0. One notable achievement is that he scored a goal against Valencia Mestalla at the Miniestadi stadium.

Ansu Fati of FC Barcelona looks on during the Liga match between FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC at Camp Nou on October 06, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.

(Oct. 5, 2019 - Source: Getty Images Europe)

4. Ansu Fati

“Why re-sign Neymar?” someone may ask. La Masia academy has a star-like Ansu Fari, who can score goals and play well just like Neymar. Apart from that, he is a young man with exceptional passion, and skills that can catapult the Barcelona team to greater heights. Lionel Messi commended Ansu Fati especially after his debut against Real Betis. He went on to score his first goal against Club Osasuna, and the future looks bright for him.

The 16-year-old was commended by one of the best players in the world, if not the best, Lionel Messi and on that basis, he is certainly Barcelona’s hope for the first team in the few years to come if he maintains his composure and articulation.

5. Juan Miranda

Juan Miranda is a 19-year-old left-back that grew immensely well in the La Masia academy and apparently he is on a loan from Barcelona to FC Schalke 04. The team he is currently playing for is a strong team that has always done well on a global stage particularly on the UEFA Champions’ League platform.

With the likes of Gerald Pique reaching retirement age in the few years to come, Juan Miranda is bound to fill in the defensive gaps if he finishes strong at his current place of abode in football.  Juan has the capacity to play center back and left-back as he has shown strong agility, strength, and precision in his craft.

His notable achievements include winning the UEFA Youth League at U19s level, and the UEFA Euro under 17s. He is one of the best hopes for Barcelona’s defence team once Gerald Pique and Jordi Alba reach close to their retirement ages. It is imperative to note that he signed a three-year contract extension with Barcelona in 2018, and inserted a $200 million buy-out clause into the deal, which somehow secures his long term future with the Catalans.

Parting Note

Barcelona team is flooded with world-class talented individuals within the La Masia academy who can be developed to become exceptional players that will leave a mark that cannot be erased. Given that the proper attention and time is given to the upcoming young players and not put intense pressure on them, they will grow to become stable players not only for Barcelona but for other clubs they will go to on loans or transfers.

What’s the reason for Argentina’s woes and how can they change the narrative?

Rabbit out of the hat

Almost everyone in the Argentine football circles knows about their once "unofficial Godfather," the controversial Julio Grondona, as he is referred to by several media outlets. The man who oversaw the affairs of the Argentine Football Association for something close to 40 years as if it was a monarchy, also having some unpopular influence in FIFA. Counter-intuitively, La Albiceleste's football somewhat thrived during his tenure but was also dying slowly and unnoticeably like a degenerative disease.

It all became apparent at his demise in 2014 when a supposedly democratic election to replace the forefather, raised a middle finger towards the whole of Argentina's football fraternity. It was a rabbit out of the hat moment, less of a lucky redemptive moment but a curse springing out of nowhere. Two candidates, one who preached reform and the other a perceived perpetuation of Grondona's iron fist regime lined up for voting as 75 members of the association went to the polls. A ridiculous and unmathematical 38-38 tie was the result, yes, out of the 75 votes cast, with the latter candidate eventually getting the nod.

Five years later, things have never been the same as far as Argentina's football is concerned.

Beginning of the end

Lionel Messi, Pablo Zabaleta, Martin Demichelis, Marcos Rojo, Lucas Biglia, Javier Mascherano, Rodrigo Palacio, Ezequiel Garay and Sergio Aguero of Argentina celebrate defeating the Netherlands in a penalty shootout during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Semi Final match between the Netherlands and Argentina at Arena de Sao Paulo on July 9, 2014 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

(July 8, 2014 - Source: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images South America)

The election did hint on the beginning of the end and so did the team's performance on the pitch in the same period, though not obvious to the eye. This was the same 2014 where Lionel Messi led La Albiceleste to the World Cup final against Germany in Brazil. Everyone had been rooting for the talisman to bring home the only prize missing from his illustrious trophy cabinet and indeed, he had put on a show worthy of praise and honor. He, in fact, walked away with the Golden Ball prize, the award for the best player of the tournament, howbeit reluctantly receiving it. He wanted more, their people wanted more, a chance to redeem a nation by winning a first major senior trophy in close to 21 years had been tombstoned by the Germans in the final. To be fair, it was not only Messi who had rearranged highways and landscapes on their way to the final. The whole of the White and Sky-Blues had punched way above their weight and just like the Germans, could have exhausted all their drive and winning mojo in that tournament.

Although they were not the most talented squad, players like Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Javier Mascherano and Gonzalo Higuain were the crème de la crème. As few as they were, their quality did rub on the likes of Marcos Rojo and Sergio Romero, with the whole unit fighting like gladiators, giving even what they didn't have for football and country. It was not just the World Cup, La Albiceleste had phenomenally appeared in 2 of the 3 prior Copa America finals before Brazil 2014. They would then appear in two more finals after 2014, however, they were unlucky not to get their hands on some elusive silverware on all the occasions.

Most or nobody could have known, but that run in which they lost no match in regulation time during the whole of the 2014 FIFA World Cup was a fat lady sings moment, almost the end of an impressive era.

Their 2018 World Cup run was just a symptom

The degeneration became apparent during the 2018 World Cup in Russia where the casual football fans witnessed a shocking performance by the South Americans.

Lionel Messi (L) and Pablo Zabaleta of Argentina look dejected after their 1-0 defeat against Germany in extra time during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Final match between Germany and Argentina at Maracana on July 13, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

(July 12, 2014 - Source: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images South America)

The seasoned Jorge Sampaoli who had masterminded Chile's Copa America triumph and done a great job at Sevilla looked way out of his depth at the helm of the White and Sky-Blues. Bizzare tactics and formations that left out key players such as Sergio Aguero, Paulo Dybala, Angel Di Maria on the bench for the likes of the unheralded and untested Christian Pavon and Maximiliano Meza got everybody talking. Sampaoli himself was crucified on social media to say the least. Of course, he did deserve some of the criticism, but even he was just a symptom and scapegoat of a much rooted and bigger problem. Preparations for the Russia tournament were far from ideal. Sampaoli was even appointed to save Argentina of the bushes of missing out on the World Cup in 48 years after a poor qualifying campaign that was rescued by a Messi hat-trick against Ecuador on the final day. A result that became Sampaoli's only competitive win prior to Russia. Scheduled international friendlies didn't help him thoroughly prepare either with a couple getting cancelled, for instance, the Jerusalem one had poor funding from the federation being a major obstacle (which we will thoroughly explore in the next section). It was during such preparations in March 2018 that Argentina suffered their record-equalling defeat at the hands of Spain, a 6-1 humiliation, which Messi was hardly able to finish as he made his way into the tunnel.

In the end, their 1-1 draw against Iceland, 0-3 loss to Croatia and a last-minute fortuitous 2-1 win over Nigeria that granted them passage into the round-of-16 were all actually not shocking but deserved results. La Albiceleste were eventually knocked out of the round-of-16 by eventual champions France with a 3-4 scoreline.

AFA Shenanigans

In 2019, results have barely improved either. A third-place finish at the 2019 Copa America clouded just how dismal their overall performance had been. An opening 0-2 loss to Columbia, a dull and lucky draw against Paraguay and an eventual win over lowly ranked Qatar were enough to send them through as one of the best 3rd placed teams. Something which shouldn't have been the case for the 2-time world champions. Their governing footballing body, the Argentine Football Association (AFA), has had a lot to do with this, if not everything to do with it. Let's look at only a few of the issues;

Players of Argentina look dejected after losing the Copa America Brazil 2019 group B match between Argentina and Colombia at Arena Fonte Nova on June 15, 2019 in Salvador, Brazil.

(June 14, 2019 - Source: Felipe Oliveira/Getty Images South America)

a. The 2014 Election

Surely without getting any more evidence; the circumstances surrounding the succession outlined in the introduction tells a lot about the cancer of corruption damaging the institution. Corruption itself as a phenomenon basically means more money to people behind the scenes and less towards the development of the game where results are expected. This can even be further evidenced by the following two other concerning issues.

b. Managerial appointments

It's very hard to explain Argentina's recent managerial struggles given just how endowed they are in terms of managerial talent as a nation.

Think Diego Simeone, Mauricio Pochettino, Marcelo Bielsa, Gerardo Martino only to mention but a few. They have a pool of renowned tacticians which has been headlining UEFA Champions and Europa League finals as well as the most competitive domestic leagues in Europe. But who have they appointed instead in recent times, Edgardo Bauza, Jorge Sampaoli and the current caretaker coacher Lionel Scaloni, Sampaoli's assistant who has been barely tested. Maybe the top guys are not just interested in the national team job, but for them not to be, there should be a good reason why. It's fair to assume that such former international players and sons of the soil would be at least patriotic enough to want to help revive their country's football. The former Barcelona manager, for example, Martino quit his role after somehow having only 12 players ready at his disposal heading into the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics.

Simply put, AFA actually seems to be holding back in financing top managerial appointments.

c. National team logistics

Many would remember that the Argentinean captain, Lionel Messi once quit the national team. It was immediately after the 2016 Copa America where they lost to Chile in the final. The five-time Balon d'Or winner had himself missed a penalty during the final shoot-out. Messi would then eventually cite poor professionalism and far from ideal logistics by the administrative body as reasons for him quitting. For someone who had given so much over the years and still not managing to help his nation regain major silverware in over 20 years, you would understand the frustration. He was tired especially given the fact that AFA didn't seem to be pulling their own weight. Messi obviously returned to international duty after a presidential and public plea.

More of friendly matches scheduled in the less known parts of the world for financial gains, only if AFA can guarantee the appearances of top players such as Messi and Aguero has also been damaging the team's competitiveness. They are treating their stars as cash cows.

There could be more, but who else wants to continue hearing about such pathetic stunts by Argentina's football governing body.

“Two candidates, one who preached reform and the other a perceived perpetuation of Grondona’s iron fist regime lined up for voting as 75 members of the association went to the polls. A ridiculous and unmathematical 38-38 tie was the result, out of the 75 votes cast, with the latter candidate eventually getting the nod.”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

Pablo Zabaleta (L) and Lionel Messi of Argentina look on with teammates after being defeated by Germany 1-0 in extra time during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Final match between Germany and Argentina at Maracana on July 13, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

(July 12, 2014 - Source: Martin Rose/Getty Images South America)

A drying talent pool

Contrary to popular belief, the current Argentinean squad is not actually very talented and balanced. After mentioning names of aging stars that include Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala, Icardi, Manuel Lanzini and Lautaro Martinez; the rest of their team members' names are not as glamorous and neither do they have crucial first-team roles at their respective clubs.

Even the above crop of excellent forwards, they are just that, forwards and they all can't play together at once. Take the 26-year-old Juventus forward for instance, Dybala, he has made little impact on the international stage because he is most effective from a position and role undertook by arguably the biggest talent of the century, Lionel Messi. The same can also be said about Lanzini; Icardi, Aguero and Higuain. No wonder coaches like Sampaoli ended up dropping some popular names on the bench.

On the face of it, this may look like karma is residing in Argentinean football right now, perhaps by having mothers give birth to and nurse only forwards in the current generation. Not really. Their current footballing structure is to be blamed for letting this happen. They are no longer as impressive in being a convincing conveyor belt of talent. La Albiceleste won the Under-20 FIFA World Cup in 2001, 2005 and 2007 and of their 20-man 2018 World Cup squad in Russia, seven of those were U20 World Cup winners from 11 or 13 years previously. Now in their last three U20 World Cup squads (2011, 2015, 2017), only two players featured in Russia. Evidence that the pathway to the first team for youth players has become less straight forward.

It is because of that reason that many talented players could be "leaking" from their current system.

Lionel Messi of Argentina football team player arrives to compete in the 2018 World Cup at Zhukovsky airport on June 9, 2018 in Moscow, Russia.

(June 8, 2018 - Source: Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images Europe)

Spare the rod on Messi

It's fair enough to argue that the case we have presented so far is enough to exonerate Messi from being the scapegoat of the national team's woes. Punditry commentary such as "he doesn't mark for the ball, he is not a good leader, he doesn't care about his country enough," should be trashed.

If it were not for Messi's stunning free-kicks and late solo goals against the likes of Iran, they wouldn't have made the 2014 World Cup final. Argentina might have not made even the Russia finals if the talisman had not bagged a hatrick against Ecuador in their 3-0victory on the final match-day of the qualifiers. It was only the 32-year-old who scored a competitive goal for Argentina between November 2016 and the commencement of the 2018 World Cup finals. So when he lost his cool against Brazil or Chile in the 2019 Copa America finals, understand he had more than one good enough reason to justify a mere normal human emotional outburst.

To say the criticism on La Albiceleste's all-time leading goal scorer has been unfair, it's a gross understatement. Where can Argentina go from here Their challenges and shortcomings surely seem obvious now, but how do they turn it around? It's simple at least on paper, AFA just has to do the opposite of what they've been doing right now. They should take good care of players on international duty, schedule friendlies that make competitive and not just financial sense, become more international in establishing a clear pathway to the senior team for the youth players, recruit vastly experienced managers amongst many other things.

If their recent 6-1 friendly victory over Ecuador is anything to go by, maybe they've started the rebuilding process with youthful players under Lionel Scolani.

Here is what the gaffer said;

"It was a positive tour. We got what we wanted which was that the kids get some minutes and for them to be able to show that they could be here. I'm excited because of the way they understand what it means to play with this shirt. There are five or six players which are the base of my team. They don't need to play as much anymore because they've shown and have given us so much.

After that you could win or lose because the best team doesn't always win. No one is unbeatable but this is a national team that will be difficult to beat." – Lionel Scolani