All about the ‘new Lamine Yamal’ in Barcelona’s academy

Barcelona can rest easy about the future. La Masia, their footballing talent factory, never stops. On the training pitches at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, several players are already being developed who are close to knocking on the door of the first team. Some already have, such as cousins Guille and Toni Fernández, or Dro, who made his debut against Real Sociedad. Beyond them, in the Juvenil A and Barça Atlètic sides coached by Belletti, a number of players have started the season brilliantly and are beginning to make their mark.

Ebrima Tunkara is one of them. Some even dare to label him the new Lamine Yamal, which is high praise indeed. Born in Gambia but holding Spanish nationality, he is a diamond Barcelona are polishing with great care. During the last international break, he shone with the Spain Under-17s, scoring two goals and providing one assist across two matches.

Tunkara stands out for his physical potential, but thanks to the excellent work of his coaches, he has also made huge strides in his understanding of the game. Left-footed, he has very good close control and a powerful shot. He can play as a winger or in midfield and has already made his debut in the Youth League.

Another winger with huge potential is Sama Nomoko. From the 2008 generation, he was impressing with Barça Atlètic under Belletti, who brought him in after losing Jan Virgili. Unfortunately, in a Youth League match against Eintracht Frankfurt, he suffered a serious injury and will be sidelined for around twelve months after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, with damage to both menisci in the same knee.

Nomoko is an attacker with great pace, power, and the ability to unbalance defences. He joined Barcelona in 2016 at Benjamín level, and since then the club have been nurturing a player they believe is destined for the top if he continues to work hard. With Barça Atlètic, he has played 10 matches, scoring two goals and registering three assists.

In the Juvenil A side, Pedro Rodríguez from Granada is also shining. He idolises Andrés Iniesta and dreams of following a similar path. He prefers to play as a defensive or central midfielder and shares traits with both Xavi and Iniesta, particularly his love for dictating the team’s play.

That is exactly the role he fulfils in Pol Planas’ Juvenil A team. The club have complete faith in his potential and, although his contract runs until 2027, they plan to meet with him to discuss an extension. English, French, and Italian clubs are monitoring his progress, but his only dream is to debut for Barça’s first team. He is already one of the leaders of the Juvenil A squad.

One academy player who appears to have convinced Hansi Flick is Xavi Espart. The right-back, who features for both the reserve team and Juvenil A in the Youth League, is fully integrated into the first-team setup. Although he has yet to make his debut, he has already been called up on several occasions. His profile is similar to that of Sergi Roberto.

He began his career as a central midfielder before being converted into a right-back, a position in which he has established himself as the best in the academy. He renewed his contract last season until 2028 and was close to making his debut under Flick in the first round of the Copa del Rey. However, he has just suffered a medial collateral ligament injury in his right knee and will be out for between eight and ten weeks.