How did Borussia Dortmund become a factory for talent?

Head Coach Jurgen Klopp of Borussia Dortmund goes up to collected his runners-up medal after losing the UEFA Champions League final match against FC Bayern Muenchen at Wembley Stadium on May 25, 2013 in London, United Kingdom.

(May 24, 2013 - Source: Alex Livesey/Getty Images Europe)

Brief history

If we focus on merely achievements and numbers, Borussia Dortmund is undoubtedly one of the most famous football clubs in the whole of Europe, and the club has a remarkable reputation of having astounding numbers during their matches.

According to the club’s website, Borussia Dortmund stands for intensity, authenticity, cohesion and ambition. The club has a special place in the hearts of the club’s fans who have remained profoundly loyal in all the good, bad and ugly times for more than a century.

The club was founded in 1909 in the German city of Dortmund in the North Rhine-Westphalia region. In football talk, the club is commonly known with the abbreviation: “BvB”, which ultimately stands for Ballspielverein Borussia or in English "Borussia club for ball games." The full name is BV Borussia 1909 EV Dortmund and is definitely one of Germany’s most decorated clubs that will always be talked about for generations to come.

The club has managed to grab eight national titles, three DFB-Porkals, a Cup Winners’ Cup and an unforgettable Champions League win in 1997. Borussia Dortmund is famous for producing world-class talents like Marco Reus, Ousmane Dembele and Christian Pulisic.

In 2003, the club fell into a financial predicament in the aftermath of excessive spending om expensive players in the transfer market. The club received financial support from arch-rivals Bayern Munich which gave them $2 million euros for paying players’ salaries. However, within a year, the club managed to repay the loan. Having gone through several challenges off and on pitch, supporters started to resent the team’s performances and were calling-out for change.

In 2008, they hired one of the most prominent managers of all times in European football named Jurgen Klopp who is the current coach of Liverpool Football Club. After making a good name for himself at Mainz, he had become the first choice for the club. Under his leadership, the first few seasons were average but eventually, Klopp, as he has come to be affectionately known, pushed the squad to incredible winning ways. He implemented a high pressing counter-attacking style which was described as heavy metal football and the club went on to take the Bundesliga title in the 2010 and the 2011 seasons.

Youssoufa Moukoko of Dortmund in action during the B Juniors Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Viktoria Koeln on August 19, 2017 in Dortmund, Germany.

(Aug. 18, 2017 - Source: Lukas Schulze/Bongarts)

Talent development

BvB takes pride in engaging youthful players and developing them to become world-class players. The end of 2019 saw the club fashionably sign a young teenager in Erling Haaland, a Norwegian who is originally from the Netherlands. In his January 2020 Bundesliga debut, the young superstar came from the bench to score a hat-trick in what has become one of Borussia Dortmund’s greatest ever comebacks in history.

The business model of recruiting raw, young talent and to nurture them into becoming superstars has become BvB’s best philosophy over the years. Since the unimpressive bankruptcy that the club experienced in 2005, in the aftermath of overspending, the executives of the club changed the strategy of recruitment. The Black and Yellow has become the best finishing school for young footballers in the entire world. In today's times, there is nowhere else in the world that a highly promising player in their late teens can go and so reliably be molded into a superstar. The smartest players, parents, and agents are aware of this notion. The youth co-ordinator for Borussia Dortmund Youth Academy explicitly stated that, “the biggest advantage at BvB is that we offer the greatest gift that young boys are looking for and it is the chance to play.” The main goal of the youth academy is to raise players that will qualify to become world-class players. The young players are kept in good shape as they are blessed with boarding facilities, healthy diets, great living conditions, and exceptional education. In the mornings, the young players go to school and later on they can carry on with proper training which does not necessarily exhaust the body’s performance.

Professionalism is a key factor at the multi-talent factory as they reach high limits in training. Their mentality is flooded with ‘winning’ it is ever so evident in the players’ performances on the pitch. For a young player, there is nothing like Dortmund City which is inundated with black and yellow colors everywhere and the training ground optimizes it. The players are graded into simple age groups namely, 12-15 years where they focus on technique, and 17-19 years where they focus on winning strategy and tactics.

The club sees training young players as a culture and the coaches are passionate to develop talent as a way of investment for the club. That is what distinguishes BVB from other clubs in Germany and in many parts of the world.

The role of Jurgen Klopp in promoting young talent

In the aftermath of bankruptcy in 2005 and not being able to pay hefty salaries of the players they had bought, performances needed a lot to be desired. In 2008, they roped in a profoundly unique coach in Klopp and under his leadership the club would revamp their youth production line, paying handsome dividends culminating in a Champions League final appearance in 2013. It was the same year in which the current Liverpool manager handed debuts to six academy products.

The German-born manager implemented an attacking football style that has its foundations in Dortmund youth, which is now being emulated by Europe’s big spenders to this day. It is said by BVB's youth coordinator that during games for the young players, their focus is not necessarily on winning though it's important, but on putting in a performance that is satisfying. At the end of each game, the young lads at the youth camp are given a sheet to fill, rate their performances and lay down their overall thoughts on how they can become better.

The youth lads are not only trained on the pitch but off the pitch with programs orchestrated to enhance their confidence in life, which inevitably plays a vital role on the pitch. There is a cultural activity done every quarter of the year that they participate in and an example is when BVB made them act out a play in English in front of 300 people. It is the kind of pressure that they have to overcome in order to play in front of 80,000 people at the Signal Iduna Park.

“A model born out of necessity and desperation has since become a hugely profitable business model for the club. In the last three years alone, Dortmund has raked in £427 million from transfers”

— Farai Maringa, FirstTouch Africa

Ousmane Dembele of Dortmund runs with the ball during the friendly match between Wuppertaler SV and Borussia Dortmund at Stadion Zoo on July 9, 2016 in Wuppertal, Germany.

(July 8, 2016 - Source: Christof Koepsel/Bongarts)

Dortmund’s successful youth products

Generally, it is obvious that of all the young players that get in the club youth camp, only a handful will make it to the top level but this is a different with BVB as they developed a reputation of being master craftsmen. The development of youthful talent has boosted the financial position of the club as they have had remarkable sales of talents over the years. One of the most incredible sales they pushed was the over €100-million sale of Ousmane Dembele to Barcelona. Dortmund have carefully put themselves in a position of attracting Europe’s elite and developing them to become renowned world-class players. Below is some of the top talents to emerge from Dortmund in recent memory.

1. Ousmane Dembele

Popularly known as the dribble king, his talents were clear to see even while he was still at a tender age at Rennes. But it was Dortmund who shrewdly signed the teenager for a mere €8 million in 2016. The Frenchman enjoyed a wonderful debut season in the Bundesliga, which attracted the attention of Barcelona, who were desperate to sign a new winger following the shock departure of Neymar for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017. Regardless of a troubled exit from Signal Iduna Park, Dembele still netted BVB a remarkable profit, with Barcelona agreeing to pay an initial €105m fee with the potential for a further €40m in add-ons.

2. Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang

The Gabonese starlet was given one of the toughest of jobs when he came to Dortmund in 2013. He played alongside Robert Lewandowski in his debut season at Signal Iduna Park and it was an incredibly rich show. However, when Robert decided to leave for arch rivals Bayern Munich, this meant the onus fell on Auba to become the center of the BVB attack, almost all on his own. Remarkably, he pulled it off, with a whopping 141 goals in 213 games making him one of Europe's elite strikers. He eventually left for the English Premier League, joining Arsenal for €62m which represented a massive return on the estimated €13m they had acquired him for from St. Etienne in 2013.

3. Ilkay Gundogan

The Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan ran the Dortmund midfield for five seasons between 2011 and 2016, having joined on a cut-price of €5.5m deal from Nurnberg when he was just 20. Manchester City was absolutely impressed with his gameplay and came to sign him in 2016. Dortmund pocketed €22.1m as profit from the sale of the striker and at his current club, he has won two English Premier League Championships, an FA Cup and two Carabao Cups.

Julian Weigl of Dortmund celebrates with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Dortmund (r) after he scored his teams sixth goal to make it 6:1 during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Moenchengladbach at Signal Iduna Park on September 23, 2017 in Dortmund, Germany.

(Sept. 22, 2017 - Source: Lars Baron/Bongarts)

4. Shinji Kagawa

Shinji was plucked from his native Japan for a mere €350,000 in 2010, with Dortmund taking advantage of a clause that allowed him to leave Cerezo Osaka on a cut-price deal should a European club come knocking. The attacking midfielder quickly became a fan favorite at Signal Iduna Park, scoring at a rate of just under a goal every two games and helped BVB to the Bundesliga title in each of his two seasons in Germany. Manchester United was delighted by his style of play and pulled out £17m from their billfold to secure his services. Dortmund were sorry to see him leave but happy with their substantial market gain. Just two years later after an unsuccessful spell at Old Trafford, Dortmund were able to re-sign Kagawa for just €8m.

5. Christian Pulisic

Christian Pulisic is one of Dortmund’s latest and arguably greatest transfer success story. The versatile American attacker was picked up at the tender age of 16 and quickly forced his way into the first teams of both his club and his country. In signing for Chelsea, Pulisic became Dortmund's second-biggest sale of all time, after Dembele. Dortmund sold him to Chelsea for £58m.

6. Mario Gotze

A product of the club's youth system, Gotze cost the club nothing and quickly became a teenage sensation. In 2013 the attacking midfielder decided to depart after Bayern Munich triggered the €37 million release clause in his contract. The lad is most famous for scoring the winning goal for Germany in the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil but through a combination of form and fitness issues, he never settled at the Allianz Arena and returned to Signal Iduna Park for €22m in 2016, admitting that he regretted ever leaving.

7. Sokratis Papastathopoulos

The Greek international’s sale proved another good investment when he chose to move to Arsenal. The defender starred for five years at BVB's camp, forming a remarkable partnership with Hummels to establish himself as a top-class center-half. Arsenal decided to move for the Greek and paid BVB approximately €15.9m meaning more money for the club.

8. Henrikh Mkhitaryan

The Armenian playmaker arrived in Dortmund in the year 2013 coming from Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk. He was phenomenal in attacking midfield. Three outstanding seasons in the Bundesliga earned Mkhitaryan a €41.8m move to Manchester United, and the Black and Yellow got another healthy profit on their initial investment. He later moved to Arsenal where he played delightful football alongside a former BVB player in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang before being signed by Roma on loan.

Mario Gotze of Borussia Dortmund and Shinji Kagawa of Borussia Dortmund battle for possession during a Borussia Dortmund training session ahead of the UEFA Champions League Group H match against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on September 12, 2017 in London, England.

(Sept. 11, 2017 - Source: Alex Pantling/Getty Images Europe)

9. Mats Hummels

In the case of Mats Hummels, Bayern Munich's loss turned out to be an infinite gain for their arch-rivals BVB. The defender was not playing extremely well as a youngster for Die Roten and was shoved off to Borussia Dortmund in 2008 for a dirt-cheap fee of just €4m. Investment in Hummels was worthwhile as he became the chief cornerstone of the Dortmund defense system. He assisted the club in acquiring two consecutive league wins, also helping them to a Champions League final in the 2012-13 season. Hummels also got his hands on the 2014 World Cup trophy with Germany before Bayern Munich came to buy him out of BVB for €35m though later returning home to Signal Iduna Park.

10. Matthias Ginter

Props go to Borussia Dortmund for the exceedingly great eye for talent. BVB discovered Matthias Ginter when he was just 20 and they got him for just €10m from Freiburg prior to the 2014-15 season. He became a master in the Dortmund defense for three years, playing more than 100 games before he was allowed to leave for Borussia Monchengladbach. BVB cleared made a healthy profit of €7m on the center-back when they released him.

Out of necessity and desperation to profound success

Jurgen Klopp the manager of Borussia Dortmund speaks with Mats Hummels of Borussia Dortmund prior to kickoff during UEFA Champions League Group D match between Galatasaray and Borussia Dortmund at Turk Telekom Arena on October 22, 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey.

(Oct. 21, 2014 - Source: Lars Baron/Getty Images Europe)

Borussia Dortmund has now built one of the most admired structures in Europe as they continue to develop young stars that grow up to become world-class players. Borussia Dortmund manages their young prodigies with familial care. They are in regular dialogue with the parents of Sancho, for instance, and with the FA about the footballing development. In the 2019/20 season, the average age of Dortmund’s team has been 25.4 - three years younger than Bayern Munich, and almost a whole year younger than any of the 20 Premier League clubs, according to Football Observatory.

Dortmund’s business model is to essentially identify the world’s best young players, nurture them and give them game-time they would have been denied elsewhere, and then sell them on for a huge profit. Wild over-spending in the past led to the club almost becoming bankrupt and it's from that unhealthy experience that encouraged the club’s executives to look at different ways and focus on talent development to avoid excessive and unnecessary costs.

Huge credit goes to Jurgen Klopp as he spearheaded the model when he arrived from a second-division side called Mainz. The Dortmund website shows that the club stopped looking at seasoned, mid-market pros and instead concentrate their efforts on identifying "young high-potentials" who are just beginning of their careers, hungry for game time, willing to learn and crucially, much less of a burden on the balance sheet. In the 2007-08 season, the average age of new recruits had been just over 27 years. Twelve months later, it was reduced to 23.5 years and it went only further down from there, hovering between 22 and 23 over the following decade.

A model born out of necessity and desperation has since become a hugely profitable business model for the club. In the last three years alone, Dortmund has raked in £427 million from transfers, including £105m for Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona), £62m for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) and £58m for Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), the latest high-profile departure.

Truth is Dortmund would rather keep their best players to become the best club in Europe but selling some great players is in acceptance of economic reality. When players start getting demand from other big clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich, they are offered profoundly higher wages and as such a decision to leave by these players will be inevitable so they can earn what they deserve.

Parting Word

All factors remaining constant, Borussia Dortmund will soon be able to pay their players enough to keep them in the long term, then win titles and make a tremendous impact in European Football. The club will need to continue developing worthy talent in the academy, scouting, signing up-and-coming stars and consistently reaching the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. Their ability to develop young talent will always be talked about for several years!

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.