ACADEMY SPOTLIGHT: FC BARCELONA AND LA MASIA, Rich, potent, and with a proven model for both scouting and nurturing talent, Barcelona’s La Masia de Can Planes youth academy warrants little to no introduction on the overall quality of its graduates, International Champions Cup. Official website

Rich, potent, and with a proven model for both scouting and nurturing talent, Barcelona’s La Masia de Can Planes (known to most as La Masia - The Farmhouse in Catalan) youth academy warrants little to no introduction on the overall quality of its graduates. From Cesc Fabregas, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Carles Puyol to Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi, the Spanish giants’ track record of producing generational type players will forever be woven into the fabric of Blaugrana history. 

The International Champions Cup summer tournament has served as a proper stage for the La Liga outfit to showcase what they have in the pipeline, and ICC Futures (which will feature a U14 Boys and U15 Girls tournament in 2019) provides a glimpse into the emphasis and youth philosophy prepping the next wave of first teamers.

The player who has passed through La Masia has something different to the rest, it's a plus that only comes from having competed in a Barcelona shirt from the time you were a child.— Former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola

Though Paris Saint-Germain swooped in to prise young phenom and crown jewel talent in 16 year old Xavi Simons this past summer, there are certainly plenty of other youngsters worth raving about and get excited for if you support the Catalan club.

Ilaix Moriba

If you don’t know, now you know that 16-year old Ilaix Moriba is amongst the Barcelona prospects garnering the most attention entering the next decade. Born in Guinea, the class of ‘03 central midfielder, who can also tuck into the hole as an attacking playmaker, has been on the fast track to stardom over the last few years.

At 15, Moriba proved to be ahead of the curve, playing two levels above his age bracket in Juvenil B as well as accruing minutes in the UEFA Youth League which only furthered his sudden rise through the ranks. Drawing comparisons to Manchester United and 2018 World Cup winning French midfielder Paul Pogba, Moriba boasts a well-rounded and diverse skill set as both a physical and technically sound youngster. The comfort and poise shown on the ball to effectively and efficiently pick a pass speaks volumes to his ability, while his agility and tactical awareness tends to see him be an asset on the defensive end. All of this, and more, lends credence to a teenager whose future lies in Barcelona’s first team picture as his profile remains a hot commodity in the modern game.

Riqui Puig

Staying the middle of the park, Riqui Puig remains another with sights set on a role at his boyhood club. The 20-year old, who made his La Liga debut on April 13, 2019, in a draw against Huesca, has long been tipped for a great future in Catalunya, having donned the famous number 8 shirt worn by the legend Iniesta in their 2018 summer tour of the US. Puig also featured in 2019's inaugural La Liga Serie A matches in August, landing a spot in the starting lineup for FC Barcelona against Napoli in Miami. 

Preferred as a left-central midfielder, the Catalan thrives as a creative cog, breaking enemy lines with a splitting pass or swiftly changing the field of play to gain a numerical advantage in the attacking phase. Puig can also slow things down, stabilize play and keep things tidy in Xavi-like fashion with his recycling of possession and freeing of his teammates. There is little doubt about his ceiling and status as one of La Masia’s finest products.

Ronald Araújo

Lastly, there is Ronald Araújo, a summer 2018 arrival to Garcia Pimienta’s Barcelona B team from Uruguay’s Boston River, who projects to be a pillar in the central defence for years to come. Physically imposing and a dominant aerial presence, the Uruguay U-20 captain is cut from the modern cloth of ball-playing central defenders who can blend the brawn exhibited from a crunching tackle with the technical aspects required of today’s game. After notching his senior debut earlier last month with a brief cameo off the bench in a 4-0 thumping of Sevilla, Araújo is on his way.

With ICC Futures fast approaching, FC Barcelona will show up well represented with both their U14 Boys and U15 Girls set to participate. Who knows, perhaps we see yet another famed era of future graduates to become first teamers at Camp Nou.