While Real Madrid have often resorted to signing some of the best young players in the world, including the likes of Eder Militao, Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham in recent years, Barcelona look as if they are relying on their world-famous La Masia academy – especially so because of their well-documented financial problems.
This season has been the emergence of 3 or 4 youngsters – the main two being Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi. While most teenagers aged 16 and 17 would be using essay helper websites at school, these two have been playing regularly for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Lamine Yamal has been an utter phenomenon since breaking into the first team last season, when he made his debut at the age of 15 – become the club’s youngest ever player in the process. He has dazzled defences on several occasions, which has left fans utterly bewildered at how a 16-year-old can do this.
Cubarsi has been equally as impressive since establishing himself earlier this year. He is now a staple of Barcelona’s backline, and he is a significant reason for Xavi Hernandez’s side having improved so much in recent weeks – a further reward for this was his first Spain cap, which came on Friday.
There are more talented youngsters coming through La Masia, and these players could end up following in the footsteps of Lamine Yamal and Cubarsi.
Mikayil Faye
The young centre-back has had a fine start to life in Catalonia, having joined last summer. He has been a regular for Barca Atletic this season, and he continues to get better and better – he even earned his first cap for the Senegalese national team on Friday, and scored a wondergoal in the process.
Barcelona are stacked in central defence, but Faye is showing himself to be more than capable of breaking into the first team in the next 12 months.
Noah Darvich
Darvich is another youngster that joined Barcelona last summer, having done so from Eintracht Frankfurt. He joined with majorly-high hopes, although he has been integrated into Rafa Marquez’s Barca Atletic side slowly – understandably so, considering he is 17.
Darvich had an excellent U17 World Cup last November/December, as he helped Germany win the tournament. He scored in the final, and the expectation is that he will be a big player internationally in the future – Barcelona expect it to also be the case for them, and he has been in fine form in recent weeks.
Darvich has a place in the Barcelona first team, as an attacking midfielder is a void that is needed. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him make the step up in the next year.
Guille Fernandez
This guy is on the Lamine Yamal/Cubarsi level of hype at Barcelona. He is regarded incredibly well inside La Masia, and aged only 15, many believe that he is not too far away from earning a first team call-up.
Fernandez, who also plays as an attack-minded midfielder, scored four times for Spain’s U17 side against Germany at the Algarve Tournament in February, which underlines how far ahead of that level he currently is. He could make the step up to Barca Atletic soon, after which, a way into the first team could be cleared.