Spain
Years after Lionel Messi made his debut for the Catalan giants, the country – a la, the clubs – were in the process of upgrading their youth systems, youth academies, scouting networks and understood and learnt new methods of communication. All in the hope that La Roja will be able to exploit the chance of fielding the next Lionel Messi.
Spain remains one of the most sought-after destinations for footballers because of the La Liga, the youth system and the general approach to football. If England’s approach to football is brash, Spain’s is a more surgical one. And the kind that allows youth footballers the chance to grow into players they never thought possible.
Barcelona, Espanyol, Sevilla, Valencia, Real Betis, Real Zaragoza, Real Vallecano and Malaga are some of the academies in Spain that continue to give to the world a high number of world-class players. And every year, we’re introduced to some of them because of a big-money move to one of Europe’s elite.
If there’s a chance for a European giant to produce a true giant on the field, it’s Spain, amongst a handful of others.
