Five hits and five misses of recent notable La Masia graduates.
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Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy is one of the most famous in the world and has produced some of the best talent seen in the game in recent times. Of course, it has also produced some players who failed to live up to their potential…
1) Gerard Deulofeu – MISS
Everton may be excited to be signing the young Spaniard, but this move on the cheap (around £4m) confirms that he has not become the ‘new Messi’ that some at Barcelona felt he might.
2) Pedro – HIT
No longer a regular, but with a fine trophy collection and some vital goals, Pedro has to go down as a big hit at Barcelona after earning promotion to the senior side during Pep Guardiola’s reign.
3) Cristian Tello – MISS
Like Deulofeu, an exciting young talent who failed to deliver, Cristian Tello now faces a long way back to the first-team after the likes of Neymar and Luis Suarez joined in the last couple of years.
4) Andres Iniesta – HIT
One of the finest midfielders of his generation, Andres Iniesta is unquestionably a hit, going from Barca’s youth team to the senior side and lifting all the trophies there are to lift with club and country.
5) Bojan Krkic – MISS
A decent signing for Stoke City, but Bojan Krkic looked like becoming a Barcelona legend of the future when he first broke through for their senior side as a teenager. Sadly, it didn’t work out.
6) Cesc Fabregas – HIT
He may not have enjoyed a huge amount of success with Barcelona themselves, but Cesc Fabregas’ great career with Arsenal and Chelsea, and of course the Spanish national team, makes him another success story of the La Masia academy.
7) Thiago Alcantara – MISS
Largely down to a bad record with injuries, Thiago Alcantara currently goes down as a miss, though the talented midfielder may yet make something of himself at Bayern Munich, where he was reunited with Pep Guardiola.
8) Xavi – HIT
Perhaps the best midfielder in Barcelona’s history and one of the game’s all-time greats, Xavi typifies the kind of football drummed into players’ heads as they rise through the ranks at La Masia.
9) Isaac Cuenca – MISS
Another who broke into the first-team a few years ago before fading away, Isaac Cuenca could not follow in the footsteps of some of his predecessors.
10) Lionel Messi – HIT
One of the best players of all time, Lionel Messi instantly looked special when he was introduced into the Barca senior side when still only 17 years old, and is now an absolute legend of the game with a career most can only dream of.
