La Masia has produced the greatest footballers in Barcelona’s history and with the start of a new decade, here is a look at 6 possible La Masia stars who could have a breakthrough season in 2020.
Barcelona are known for developing some of the greatest talents the world of football have ever seen, legendary players such as Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Pep Guardiola, Lionel Messi and many many more.
Barca’s youth academy, La Masia, is known for being one of the greatest youth academies in the world with many youngsters dreaming of enrolling there. It is known for preserving the club’s traditions and helping the players understand Blaugrana’s values.
Barca have always aimed to integrate Johan Cruyff’s philosophy of ‘Total Football’ in every gradate, an idea that any player on the field can take over a role besides their own.
Though there are many talented footballers in the current Blaugrana B squad, Here is a closer look at 6 youngsters who are likely to become a regular star for Barca in 2020,
#6 Ilaix Moriba (Central Midfielder)
Ilaix Moriba became famous at the age of 15 after his dominating performance against Real Madrid’s Juvenil B back in a pre-season tournament in 2018. A few years younger than his opposition, Moriba scored 2 goals in the first half; initially an audacious 25-yard attempt to secure the first and followed it up with a goal from a tight angle after beating two defenders. He completed his hattrick a few seconds after the start to the second half, when his team-mate rolled the ball to him from the center circle. Moriba, after a soft touch rolling the ball forward, spotted the Los Blancos goalkeeper out of his line and made a direct attempt at the goal hitting the crossbar and completing his hattrick in an outstanding fashion.
Regarding by many as the next Paul Pogba, Moriba is destined to be one of the greatest talents to come out of La Masia. With the new coach, Setien looking to include youngster Riqui Puig to his first-team squad, it could not only bring Moriba up to the B squad but also have him featured for the first-team in some occasions.
#5 Alex Collado (Attacking Midfielder)
At 20 years of age, Collado has already become one of the favorites to be promoted to the first-team squad having played 55 matches for the B squad, where he managed to score 9 goals along with 6 assists.
Alex initially was a youth player for local rivals, Espanyol, before joining the Catalans in 2009. He came through the ranks of La Masia, making his first and only senior appearance in April 2019 in a 2-0 loss against Celta Vigo, playing for 84 minutes.
Collado is an attacking midfielder who is moving closer to be promoted to the senior squad especially have a spectacular display during Barca’s pre-season friendlies. The Spaniard was a starter during the first two matches, against Chelsea and Vissel Kobe respectively, and he also managed to play for 11 minutes against Arsenal. The youngster displayed his versatility during these endeavors as he was seen playing as a left-winger during his time against Celta Vigo and Chelsea, while against Vissel Kobe, he played a defensive midfielder role.
#4 Moussa Wagué (Right-Back)
Barca are still struggling to replace the player who has won the most trophies in world football at 41 trophies, Dani Alves. The Catalan giants have used many full-backs ever since, with Aleix Vidal becoming the first player destined to succeed back in 2015. The Spaniard is currently under contract with 15th place, Deportivo Alavés, after failing to be the solution for Barcelona. Currently, the squad is on a rotational basis between Portuguese international, Nelson Semedo, and Spaniard, Sergi Roberto, with the latter currently as a favourite to acquire the role on a more regular basis as Semedo was tipped to be on the verge of an exit under former manager, Ernesto Valverde.
With the appointment of a new coach who is interested in giving youngsters them a shot at first-team glory. It would be no surprise to see the 21-year-old Senegal right-back, to be featured for some of the club’s endeavors in order to find a permanent solution for the right-back issue that currently troubles the club. Having said that, many names like Joshua Kimmich and Hector Bellerin are linked with the Catalan giants, which could prove to be a problem for the teenager’s future at the club.
#3 Riqui Puig (Central Midfielder)
20-year-old Riqui Puig is favorite to be featured in Barcelona’s next fixture against Granada as both Frenkie de Jong and Arthur Melo are unavailable to play, with the former receiving a red card against Espanyol and the latter still struggling with injury. Puig has been a member of the reputed Barca academy for over 7 years. He made his first-team debut in 2019 Copa del Rey fixture against Cultura Leonesa, where he assisted one of the 4 goals scored that day.
Riqui is regarded by many to be the future for Barcelona’s midfield in the coming years alongside De Jong and Arthur, with many fans desperate to see the youngster have more regular appearances with the senior squad. With Setien keen on using youngsters to achieve greatness, it should be no surprise to see Puig as one of the top names on that list.
#2 Carles Perez (Winger)
Another youngster who was obtained from the youth academy of Espanyol is the 21-year-old winger, Carles Perez, who joined Barca in 2012. He made his first-team debut in 2019 when he replaced former Brazilian teammate, Malcom, in the minute of a 2-2 draw against Eibar.
Perez was promoted due to his impressive display with the B squad, where he scored 13 goals along with 6 assists in 55 matches. He has since made 11 appearances for the senior squad, scoring 2 goals along with 3 assists, playing for a total of 463 minutes.
Perez is, without a doubt, going to be one of Barca’s future stars and with Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez currently injured, it may be his time to shine once again.
#1 Ansu Fati (Winger)
Another player who is not only going to benefit from the injuries to Dembele and Suarez but also someone who has established himself as one of the superstars of the future is Ansu Fati. At just 17 years of age, Fati has made 14 appearances for the first-team, during which he managed to score 3 goals along with an assist.
At age 17 years and 40 days, Ansu set a Champions League record with his goal against Inter Milan, scoring few minutes after coming in as a substitute, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the tournament history.
The Barca phenom who moved to Spain when he was six years old could be the next regular homegrown talent who could break many more records in the coming years. With Barca’s new coach Setien moving towards playing Antoine Greizmann in a more striking role due to the latest injury to the aging no. 9, Luis Suarez, it could make an opening for a talented winger like Fati to display his skills at such a tender age.
Who would you like to see have a more regular role with the first-team?