Barcelona were going through a tough time financially as well as on the field for the past few seasons. This was mainly due to the mismanagement within the previous Barcelona board of directors, headed by Josep Maria Bartomeu. The former president was hellbound on bringing in new players and spent a lot of money on big flops such as Philippe Coutinho, Miralem Pjanic etc. Even though the Catalans boast one of the finest youth academies in the world, Bartomeu’s reckless expenditures put the club in financial peril.
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This season, however, under the guidance of Ronald Koeman, Carles Tusquets, and Joan Laporta, the Blaugranas were able to finally use their homemade players, something that Barcelona were originally acclaimed for. The academy has once again proven to be Barcelona’s biggest asset and it may even go on to save the club from bankruptcy in the long run.
Players such as Ansu Fati, Oscar Mingueza, Riqui Puig, and many more, have proven that the Catalans need to focus more on the youth rather than going out and buying world-class players who later struggle to perform for the club.
This season was dominated by the youths of the club and they should be further developed next season instead of being dropped for new players.
The season was not a complete success for the club but it was a pretty good season considering the amount of new players who broke into the first team and the new manager who had his debut season with a team going through a transition. Without the youths, the Copa del Rey victory would not have been possible, so today we will be paying homage to five of the best performing youngsters from the 2020/21 season.
5. Ilaix Moriba
Ilaix Moriba is a player who contains a lot of talent and now it up to the Barca coaches to find a way to develop him properly and reach his potential. The player at the age of only 18 years, has already been compared to the likes of Paul Pogba, one of the best central-midfielders of our generation. While Moriba is still far away from actually reaching the heights of Pogba, or even greater, he has already scored his debut goal last season and also provided three assists in the limited number of minutes he was handed by Koeman. The player ended up playing 18 matches for the main team last season and even got to start for the team four times. His fantastic link-up play with Lionel Messi in the match against Osasuna brought a smile to many Barca fan’s faces. Although Moriba wasn’t used much in the beginning of the season, his contributions near the end of the season will not be overlooked and Catalan fans can expect more of him in the next season.
4. Ansu Fati
Probably the most talented player to have played last season who also happens to be a La Masia graduate is Ansu Fati. The player had a fantastic start to the season in 2020 and he was going to be one of Barcelona’s stand-out players had it not been for his early injury. His season started out very promisingly and he even got a call up to the Spanish national team where he broke the record for the youngest scorer for Spain. His season with Barcelona began in a fantastic manner and he scored five goals and provided four assists in 10 matches across all competitions. After that, he suffered a meniscus injury which kept on deteriorating and it has been confirmed that he will have to go through a third knee injury. His dream of representing Spain in Euros 2021 has also been destroyed. However, Barcelona are sure of his talents and they have already put a ridiculous release clause on him. Hopefully, he can recover soon and play a big part in next season’s competitions.
3. Oscar Mingueza
22 year old, Oscar Mingueza, was thrusted into the main team from the B team after the injury of Gerard Pique. After their main veteran center-back was out injured, the Catalans had to replace him with someone and they could not look towards Samuel Umtiti as the French international had not fully recovered yet. Koeman was forced to look into the B team and Mingueza was his second choice for the team. However, the player gave some solid performances and even scored 2 goals in the league. He was deployed mostly as a center-back but he was also used a lot in the right-back position as it is his main position with the youth squad. He turned out to be a solid, young player who made some big-time performances to pull the club through a hard time. However, with the introduction of Eric Garcia next season, we might not see much of Mingueza next season and that would be a shame as he was one of the best performers for Barcelona in the 2020/21 season.
2. Ronald Araujo
Ronald Araujo has been arguably the best introduction from the B team last season. The center-back who is not a product of La Masia was an important part of the B team and his leadership skills along with his solid no-nonsense defensive style attracted Koeman. The Dutch manager immediately put him in the team alongside Clement Lenglet when Pique was injured and the 22-year-old certainly lived up to expectations. He made some huge last-minute clearances and seemed to be calmer than the much more experienced French star. He is definitely Barcelona’s defender of the season although the ending of the season was less than kind to him. The youngster ended up suffering from an ankle injury which kept him out of the last portion of the season. He was introduced back into the game slowly however, he was not used as much as he was at the beginning of the season. This could have been due to the injury or due to the fact that Pique had returned to the game however, next season he should be a part of the team as he has shown that he has what it takes to replace a legend such as Pique.
1. Pedri
Finally, Barcelona’s youngster of the season award must go to Pedri. The 18-year-old has been phenomenal for the club and to play at such a prestigious club at such a young age is something quite extraordinary. Although the youngster is not a product of La Masia, he was scouted by the club and brought in from UD Las Palmas for a fee of only 5 million euros although his addons could take the deal up to 30 million euros. However, he has certainly outdone his expectations and he has been one of Barcelona’s most important players last season. The youngster played 52 games in all competitions and scored four goals while providing six assists. Although these figures may not look like a lot, he is a more complete midfielder who does not always give the last pass or put the ball at the back of the net. Instead, he is more involved in the play-making aspect of the game. He has also been seen making some great defensive plays and his amazing display against Real Sociedad in the 2-1 victory really showed his commitment to the club. He has certainly been the player of the season after Lionel Messi and he is on his way to becoming a club legend already.
Which youngster impressed you the most this season?