Barcelona’s La Masia XI that found success elsewhere

Forwards: Mauro Icardi, Giovani dos Santos and Keita Baldé

Icardi has scored over 100 goals for Inter

The entire list so far comprised of Spanish players but none of the forwards are Spaniards although one of them was born in Spain.

The biggest name in the list of forwards is Inter Milan captain Mauro Icardi.

He signed for Barcelona in 2008 when he was 15 and in January 2011, he left the club to join Sampdoria on loan. His six-month loan spell at Sampdoria saw him score 13 goals in 19 games for the Primavera team which prompted the club to utilise the option to buy him permanently.

He made his professional debut on 12 May 2012, in a Serie B game against Juve Stabia as a 75th-minute substitute and ten minutes later he scored his first professional goal to win the game 2-1 for Sampdoria.

The following season, he played 31 games in Serie A scoring 10 goals and thus earned a move to Inter Milan. At the time of this transfer, he stated that he has no regrets about leaving Barcelona.

The Argentine has thrived at Inter scoring 107 goals in 182 games for the club while also being named the club captain ahead of the 2015/16 season. He was also the Serie A top scorer in 2014/15 and 2017/18.

Dos Santos scored a hat-trick in his final game for Barcelona

Giovani dos Santos also left Barcelona to play for a Premier League club based in London. Before leaving Barcelona, he played 38 games for the senior team scoring three goals and all three goals were in his last game for the club!

The Mexican joined Tottenham in 2008 but he found little success there and while at Spurs, he had three loan spells where he again struggled.

It was a permanent move to Mallorca in 2012 that helped him get his career back on track as he scored 6 goals and assisted 7 more for a team that was relegated. However, his individual performance was enough to earn a move to Villarreal. At Villarreal, he racked up 17 goals and 14 assists in 73 games before moving to MLS side LA Galaxy where currently plays.

Interestingly, Giovani has a younger brother, Jonathan, who is a midfielder by trade and also a La Masia graduate. Jonathan played 28 games for the senior team before playing alongside his brother and Villarreal and now at LA Galaxy.

Keita has played for Lazio and Monaco since leaving Barcelona

Completing this XI is Keita Bald who was born in Spain to Senegalese parents but opted to play for his country of origin and will be doing so at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Barcelona sent Keita on loan to Cornellà for two seasons as punishment for placing an ice cube in a teammate’s bed when the youth team traveled to Qatar for a tournament. He excelled while at Cornellà and upon completion of his loan spell, he turned down the chance to return to Barcelona.

In 2011, he signed for Lazio, initially playing for the youth sides before being promoted to the senior team during the 2012/13 season. He played 137 games for Lazio scoring 31 goals and assisting 12 more at a very young age. In his final season at the club, he scored 16 league goals which made him the joint 8th leading goalscorer in the league.

He joined Monaco last summer, playing 33 games, scoring 8 goals and assisting 9 more in his debut season. Still only 23, Keita has the best years of his career ahead of him.