"Of the 11 players aged 18 or under to have played in LaLiga so far this season, six of them play for Barcelona. It has been a common theme in recent years as Barça have combatted financial problems by rolling out what looks set to be another generation of golden talent. From Gavi, Fermín López and Alejandro Balde, to Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí, La Masia, the club's famed academy, has delivered just when it was most needed."
"It represents a marked change from the previous decade, when a spine of homegrown talent led by the likes of Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, made it difficult for youngsters to establish themselves as regular starters. The latest players to impress coach Hansi Flick and step from the youth setup into the first team are Dro, Toni and Jofre Torrents, with a special mention for Marc Bernal, whose rise was cruelly halted last year when he tore his ACL in the third LaLiga game of the season."
"It has reached the stage where it almost goes unnoticed, given the success Gavi, Pedri (who joined from Las Palmas) and Yamal all achieved by age 17, but one youth coach at the club points out to ESPN that it should "not be normalized" what the kids coming after them are doing. "It shouldn't need saying," the coach added, "but playing for Barça at 17 is remarkable.""
Barcelona has supplied six of the 11 LaLiga players aged 18 or under this season, including both 17-year-olds to feature so far. La Masia has produced recent stars such as Gavi, Fermín López, Alejandro Balde, Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí, easing the club's financial challenges by providing first-team-ready talent. The reliance on academy graduates marks a shift from the previous decade's established homegrown spine led by Messi, Iniesta and Busquets, which limited opportunities for newcomers. New faces like Dro, Toni, Jofre Torrents and recovering prospect Marc Bernal have impressed coach Hansi Flick, though a youth coach warns against normalizing 17-year-old first-team debuts.
Read at ESPN.com
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