La Masia, the legendary Barcelona academy, is without a doubt one of the best football schools for developing young players. The academy has produced some of the world’s finest footballers, including Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, and Xavi Hernandez.
In this article, we look at footballers who started at La Masia before moving to top European clubs.
Andre Onana
Onana joined Barcelona’s academy as a teenager from Samuel Eto’o’s Foundation in Cameroon and spent five years at La Masia. After a few games at the youth level, Ajax’s sporting director was convinced to bring Onana to Amsterdam, and he was signed in 2015. He began his career with Jong Ajax and then rose through the ranks of the senior club. Inter Milan later signed him, and he helped the Italian club reach the UEFA Champions League final last season. Onana moved to EPL side Manchester United last summer.
Mauro Icardi
Mauro Icardi began his football career at Barcelona’s academy. The Argentine entered the academy during Pep Guardiola’s first season as manager and progressed through the youth teams for two and a half seasons. He was then replaced by Rafinha, which led to his transfer to Sampdoria. He then moved to Inter Milan before PSG signed him. Icardi currently plays for the Turkish side Galatasaray.
Hector Bellerin
Hector Bellerin is one of the players who began their career with Barcelona but rose to prominence after leaving the La Liga powerhouse. Bellerin, who was born in Catalonia, joined La Masia as a small boy and progressed through the development system until joining Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2011.
Marc Cucurella
Cucurella spent eight years with the youth teams and then with Barca B. However, he struggled to find playing time with the senior team. Cucurella went to England after spells with Eibar and Getafe, joining Brighton. He currently plays for Chelsea.
Adama Traore
Traore began his football career at the age of eight and progressed through the Barcelona junior system before being promoted to the senior team. The gifted winger possessed all of the qualities necessary to become a Barcelona icon, but he battled to find playing time and eventually left for Aston Villa. He went on to play for Middlesbrough, Wolves, and Fulham.
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