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Ever since the Dutch maestro, Johan Cruyff laid the foundations of the famed academy at Barcelona, he had only one goal in mind, to make Barcelona self-sufficient by breeding a class of players that can take the club forward by instilling in them the very virtues that make Barça "Mes Que Un Club" or more than a club.
The students of La Masia are taught the skills that every Barça player is obliged to have; being comfortable on the ball, always looking for a pass and the most important of all, being a part of the culture of the club and understanding what "Mes Que Un Club" stands for.
La Masia is the only football academy that can boast of producing the top three players in contention for the Ballon d'Or in a single season namely Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez and Lionel Messi.
It has produced a golden generation of players that dominated world football for close to a decade which includes the likes of Victor Valdes, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Cesc Fabregas, Pedro and many more.
Over the last few years, however, Barça has strayed far from its own principles of incorporating the youth regularly into the first team.
Only Sergi Roberto has made himself a regular over these past few years making young, prodigious talent look for greener pastures elsewhere and leaving the club for regular playing time.
We look at five players that are ready to be promoted to the first team to bring back the good old days.
#5 Marc Cucurella
Born in Alella, Cucurella started playing Futsal before joining Barça's local rival Espanyol's youth team in 2006. In 2012, he moved to FC Barcelona.
Cucurella made 17 appearances for the Barcelona B side in domestic competitions in the 2016-17 season and helped achieve promotion to the Segunda División. Cucurella made his debut for Barça's first team in October 2017, coming on as a substitute for an injured Lucas Digne in the 3–0 Copa del Rey win against minnows Real Murcia.
Already tipped by Culés to be a natural successor of Jordi Alba, having the same blistering pace down the flank and ability to combine with the players on the inside he would do well if incorporated into the first team.
Ernesto Valverde's lack of confidence in Lucas Digne and the absence of any other left-back in the team makes Cucurella a certain contender to win promotion to the first team.
Cucurella has scored 1 goal for the reserve side this season.
Video: He can effectively replace an aging Jordi Alba
#4 Sergi Palencia
The captain of Barça's B-team and one of the most capped players for the reserve side, Palencia plays as a natural right-back, which is a position that the first team has struggled to strengthen ever since the Brazillian Dani Alves left for Juventus.
One of the most important players in the team, Palencia has been primed for promotion in recent years by everyone at the club, but the managers at the Camp Nou decide to play Sergi Roberto as a right-back even though his natural position is in midfield.
With only Nelson Semedo as a natural right back in the squad and Valverde's track record of using youngsters in the first team at Athletic Bilbao, Palencia would be waiting for the day he gets promoted to the main team.
Semedo's high work rate could be perfect to integrate Palencia's vision in an efficient rotational system that the gaffer could custom make.
Video: Captain and leader of the B-team
#3 Oriol Busquets
People are surprised to find that Oriol Busquets and his namesake Sergio Busquets are not even remotely related. Not only do they share the same surname, but they both have been raised through Barça's famed La Masia academy.
They play in the exact same defensive midfielder position and have that same lean quality to their frame. Oriol's height is around 6'1" compared to Sergio's 6'2", he has long legs just like Sergio that are just made for tackling and passing exquisitely under pressure
His short passing is flawless, and even under heavy pressure from the opposition press, he is easily able to find others or start attacks from the back in true Barça style. He is the appropriate model of Barça's age-old philosophy.
He played in a slightly different position for Spain's under-17 setup, forming part of a two-man pivot when the coach played in a 4-2-3-1 system, but he was just as efficient and helped the team reach the finals.
Video: The new Busquets
#2 José Manuel Arnáiz
His arrival was somewhat low key. In August, all the transfer related talk at Barça was about Philippe Coutinho after Neymar's shock departure to Paris Saint-Germain. So, not many people noticed when forward Jose Arnaiz was brought from Real Valladolid for a trial at the youth level.
The 22-year-old already had experience of playing in the Segunda Division of Spain when he was bought by Barça for a fee of €3.4 million similar to that of Marco Asensio. Six months into the season and he is appearing for the first team having already attracted the attention of a number of elite sides across Europe having a release clause of €20 million only.
Arsenal and Tottenham are both interested in paying the exciting youngsters release clause. A left winger primarily capable of playing anywhere across the forward line with an eye for goal and a powerful shot, he has scored 6 and set up 4 for Barça B in the 17-18 season, before also stepping up to the first team mainly in the Copa del Rey with success there as well.
#1 Carles Aleñá
Realistically speaking, he is the only B-team player who is certain of a promotion to the first team next season. Alena has already signed a 3 year deal with the Catalan club in 2017 which would effectively keep him at FC Barcelona for years to come. The current buy-out clause in his contract stands at €75 million.
Alena is highly rated by the fans and the club alike joining the youth setup at a tender age of 7 only. On his debut for the senior team against minnows Hercules in the Copa del Rey, Alena made a statement early on by scoring a goal to draw the match for the Blaugrana 1-1.
Carles Alena has made 84 appearances for the reserve side and 7 for the first team scoring 21 goals in the process and making 14 assists. Valverde specifically picked Alena for the pre-season tour to the United States.
With Andres Iniesta's age catching up with him and his future at the club still in doubt, Alena would do well to be a like for like replacement for the legendary midfielder. Alena has already made a resounding impact on the first team and is just waiting for an official promotion to the main squad.
Video: Carles Aleñá - Bright Future
