Lamine Yamal is the latest made-in-La Masia sensation, and for many the new Spain international is the most talented player to come out of the Barcelona academy since Lionel Messi. In addition to the 16-year-old winger who shines with his talent and maturity, the Catalan team has also brought out other high-level players lately: Gavi, Alejandro Baldé or Ansu Fati, to name those who have a important role in the first team. But in addition to these nuggets, there are many who have made a brilliant career away from Camp Nou: Dani Olmo and Xavi Simons (RB Leipzig), Rodri Sanchez (Betis), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea) or Sergio Gomez (Manchester City).
And inevitably, there is a fairly obvious observation that we can make. If La Masia has for a long time above all trained excellent midfielders, and more generally very talented players, capable of playing with one touch of the ball, we are clearly witnessing an evolution in profiles. The Catalan team no longer releases players similar to Guardiola, Xavi, Iniesta or even Thiago Alcantara, and the latest La Masia products to have broken through, like those mentioned above, are above all players with a slightly more physical profile, fast, dribbler, and adapted to a fairly direct game. Players who adapt more to the characteristics of modern football, in short, and it is no coincidence that more traditional profiles such as Riqui Puig, Ilaix Moriba or Nico Gonzalez have had difficulty settling in at the highest level. .
Players better suited to current football?
Did La Masia change their training methods? Is it not rather other profiles that are starting to break through while the others remain in the closet? There is a bit of both, but it is clear that in recent years, the Catalan club has had to look elsewhere, far from its center, for the players it used to train brilliantly. Pedri or Frenkie de Jong, who totally have this historic Barça DNA, have thus made their classes elsewhere. And, at the same time, Barça has managed to get players out of positions where, in the past, it had to recruit, such as full-backs or wingers. Alejandro Baldé is perhaps the best example of this, even more so than Gavi or Yamal.
It is enough to look a little at what is happening at the level of the youth teams to see that there has indeed been a change in the profiles of players from La Masia. The B team coached by Rafa Marquez or the U19s are a good example of this, and we find, within both formations, a rather direct and less “conventional” game. Paradoxically, Xavi is betting on a 4-man midfield, ultimately leaving little room for these new wingers that Barça manages to bring out, even if the explosion of Lamine Yamal should change the situation. One thing is certain, contrary to what some thought, La Masia is still alive and perhaps more productive than ever…
