Barcelona best in producing young stars

Today, let's talk about one of the greatest teams the footballing world has ever seen, and the simple method they use in producing world-class players from their academy (La Masia). Barcelona has been my childhood club, and growing up, I saw them playing one style of football (possession football). And I will say the reason why they can still maintain the same pattern might be because they produce most of their players themselves, giving them the kind of orientation they want them to have when it comes to playing football.

---

Source

---

So far, we have seen great players, but let's start with the player with the most trophies in world football, Lionel Messi - perfection itself, the little boy from Rosario. He made his senior debut at 17, and the rest was history. Imagine boasting of producing one of the greatest players that have ever played the game of football, if not the greatest. Now, Carles Puyol. When you talk of a leader, you should mention Puyol, the best when it comes to controlling the tempo of the game. Puyol was a player who was loved by all, even by his opponents and opposing fans, though he joined La Masia late (when he was 17), but still turned out to be a great player.

What about the best trio - Iniesta, Xavi, and Sergio Busquets? Never will football see such a combination. Just in case you forgot, Iniesta, Xavi, and Sergio Busquets in their prime were regular starters for Barcelona and, at the same time, for Spain. I can say that's not what we often see in football; in fact, I haven't seen such a combination other than the three men from La Masia. With Iniesta moving forward towards the defenders and Xavi doing the neat work with incredible passes, then Sergio Busquets, also known as the invisible man, always calm with the ball, turning and breaking opponents' midfield lines - what a perfect combination!

There are many more players still yet to mention - Xavi Simons, Ansu Fati, the wonder kid from La Masia, but his days of being in the spotlight did not last long because of him getting injured regularly. Dani Olmo, yes, in case you don't know, Dani Olmo is also a product of La Masia.

I can't forget to mention Lamine Yamal, the wonder kid, the golden boy. Just imagine a boy of 17 being the top runner for the Ballon d'Or - it's just out of this world. What about Cubarsi, a reincarnation of Carles Puyol, calm under pressure, the best when it comes to last-man tackles? I see a future Barcelona captain in him. Let's talk about Balde, a complete modern-day full-back, always running up and down the flank he plays - just like Roberto Carlos. We can't forget about Pedri and Gavi; they both won the Golden Boy award back-to-back. Pedri is seen as a midfield maestro, and when you watch Gavi, you see passion for the game. A lot of players have been produced from La Masia - too numerous to list here - and it would be great if other European teams used the same pattern, just like Barcelona.