Barça has won three titles in a very successful season with Hansi Flick at the helm, regaining the hallmarks of a team that is strongly committed to giving opportunities to its youth academy, thus nurturing the first team with many players from La Masía. As a team in capital letters, they have won three titles this season against Real Madrid: the Spanish Super Cup, the Copa del Rey, and LaLiga.
La Masía paves the way to the league title
La Masía has played a key role in the treble. Pedri’s leadership in midfield and Lamine Yamal’s breakthrough are just two examples of the Barça brand that have been key this season, but they are not the only ones.
In defense, Pau Cubarsí has been key, chosen at 18 as an undisputed starter alongside Iñigo Martínez. On the left wing, Alejando Balde has also been a key player in Hansi Flick’s starting eleven. Héctor Fort has not been as influential, but he has had his minutes and contributed as one of the team.
In midfield, in addition to the magical Pedri, who has taken a leap in quality and is enjoying the best moment of his career, Fermín López, scorer of one of the goals in Cornellà that won the league title, Gavi, and Casadó, until his injury, have also been key at various points of the season.
Lamine, the greatest exponent
In this review, when it comes to attack, we must pause to consider the key player of the season who, at just 17 years of age, is the greatest exponent of what La Masía can bring to the first team. We are talking about Lamine Yamal, who has had an outstanding season that has established him as one of the best players in the world. He will undoubtedly be a strong candidate for the Golden Ball, and his numbers and performances speak for themselves.
This season, he has broken record after record, culminating in the Champions League clash against Inter Milan, where the team was eliminated, but Lamine made history. In that match, he played his 100th game for Barça and also set several records, becoming the second youngest player to play in a UCL semi-final. He also achieved the milestone of being the youngest player to score in a semi-final.
He has been unquestionable, even playing a worrying number of minutes, but the player has the art of resting while playing and always performing at the highest level in Hansi Flick’s starting eleven. As could not be otherwise, the league title came with a great goal by Lamine Yamal, who celebrated by emulating Messi, a player with whom many compare him.
A new gem in the youth academy with suitors in the Premier League
Without a doubt, as we have seen, La Masía is an inexhaustible source of talent that Barça exploits in the first team, but also exports. There is currently a player in the youth ranks who is attracting a lot of interest in the market. We are talking about Juan Hernández, who has already made his debut with Barça Atlètic in Primera RFEF. Manchester United and Chelsea FC could pay the six million euro release clause.
Juan Hernández was an important player in the UEFA Youth League, scoring a goal in the Final Four. He was also important in the Copa del Rey Juvenil final against Real Zaragoza, where he was in the starting lineup and made his mark with two goals and an assist.