Barcelona’s La Masia XI that found success elsewhere

Midfield: Oriol Romeu, Cesc Fabregas and Thiago Alcantara

Fabregas joined Arsenal when he was 16 and later captained the club

Bellerin was not the first La Masia player who left the academy midway to join Arsenal. He followed in the footsteps of Cesc Fabregas who later went on to captain the Gunners.

Fabregas left Barcelona sensing that he would have limited opportunities at the club and rightfully so. It would have been very difficult for a 16-year-old to displace Andres Iniesta or Xavi Hernandez.

Fabregas was an integral member of Arsenal’s midfield between 2004 and 2011, playing 303 games. In November 2008, he was named the club captain - an honour he held until his departure in 2011 when he broke the hearts of Arsenal fans by returning to Barcelona.

He spent three seasons at Barcelona winning several honours before he was deemed surplus to requirements and was sold to Chelsea, for whom he still plays.

Thiago may return to Barcelona this summer

Thiago Alcantara is another La Masia graduate poised for a return to Barcelona and it could happen this summer.

The 27-year-old made his professional debut with Barcelona but his first team opportunities were limited at the club despite his talent. So when Pep Guardiola took over as manager of Bayern Munich in 2013, he brought Thiago to the Bavarian club.

At Bayern, Thiago suffered a series of long-term injuries but ultimately went on to become a key player for the Bavarians. During his first season, he broke the record for most touches and passes in a single Bundesliga game but it was later surpassed by a certain Xabi Alonso.

Thiago has played 151 games for Bayern Munich in his five seasons at the club but if rumours are to be believed, then the club is willing to part ways with the player and a return to Barcelona looks likely.

Romeu is one of Southampton's most important players

The last player in this midfield hasn’t hit the heights of the other two players but he is slowly becoming a figure of consistency in the Premier League.

Romeu only made two appearances for the Barcelona senior team before following a well-trodden path to the Premier League by joining Chelsea in 2011. He started his Chelsea career brightly before a knee injury sidelined him for the rest of the season in December 2011.

Post-injury, Romeu was not able to break into the senior team and spent the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons on loan at Valencia and Stuttgart respectively. In 2015, he left Chelsea to join Southampton and has cemented his place in the team as one of their most important players. In fact, he was named Southampton’s Fans’ Player of the Season in 2016/17.

Unsurprisingly, there are rumours linking him with a move away from St.Mary’s.