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Barcelona are one of Europe’s biggest and most successful clubs, and while they’ve become renowned over the years for signing some of the world’s most highly-rated players – the likes of Luis Suarez and Frenkie de Jong for instance – they also have one of the world’s most successful academies.
La Masia has been a world-renowned production line for players for decades, opening back in 1979, and some of the greatest players in the history of the game have emerged from it and into the first team at the Nou Camp.
Here are the 10 best players to have graduated from Barcelona’s academy.
#10 Pedro
Signed by La Masia at the age of 17, Pedro made his way into Barcelona’s first team in the 2008-09 season after starring for Barcelona B in 2007-08, scoring 7 goals as the side achieved promotion from the Tercera Division. A pacy winger, the Spaniard made 14 appearances in Barca’s famous treble-winning season, but it was the following campaign in which he made a real impact.
Pedro played 34 games in La Liga, scoring 12 goals, and ended the season with a total of 23 strikes in all competitions. The following season saw him score 22, and while he hasn’t scored over 20 in a single season since, he continued to be a key man for La Blaugrana in the 4 seasons that followed. By the time his Barca career came to an end, he’d won 5 La Liga titles, 3 Champions Leagues and a further 12 minor trophies – as well as the World Cup and the European Championship with Spain.
The summer of 2015 saw the winger make a surprising move to Chelsea for a fee of £19m, and since moving to the Premier League he’s continued to find success – winning the Premier League title in 2016-17, the FA Cup in 2017-18 and the UEFA Europa League in 2018-19.
#9 Guillermo Amor
Signed by Barcelona as a 13-year old back in 1980, Guillermo Amor was a skilled, versatile midfielder who eventually broke into the first team at the Nou Camp under the legendary Johan Cruyff, and quickly established himself as one of the club’s key players of the late 1980’s and throughout the 1990’s.
Capable of playing practically anywhere in midfield as a more attacking player, Amor spent a total of 10 seasons at Barca, amassing a total of over 400 appearances at the club and scoring an impressive 68 goals. His most fruitful season was 1994-95; Amor played in 37 of Barca’s 38 league games, made a total of 53 appearances in all competitions and scored 11 goals as they won La Liga.
When his Barcelona career ended with a move to Fiorentina at the summer of 1998, Amor had won a total of 17 trophies at the Nou Camp, including four successive La Liga titles between 1990-91 and 1993-94, and the UEFA European Cup – the predecessor to the Champions League – in 1991-92 as part of Cruyff’s famed ‘Dream Team’.
#8 Gerard Pique
A rare example of a La Masia graduate who initially made a mark elsewhere, central defender Gerard Pique joined Barcelona as a 10-year old, but then moved to Manchester United prior to signing his first professional contract with the club. The Spaniard struggled in England – facing criticism for his performances in the 2007-08 season – and then made a move back to the Nou Camp for just £5m.
Despite being labelled a flop by Red Devils fans, it didn’t take long for Pique to settle in back at his boyhood club; 2008-09 saw him make 45 appearances for La Blaugrana, scoring 3 goals along the way and forming a strong defensive partnership with Carles Puyol. Barcelona won La Liga that season, also claimed the Copa del Rey, and most importantly, defeated Pique’s old club Manchester United in the final of the Champions League. It was the ultimate revenge for the defender.
Since his move back to Catalonia, Pique has basically been an ever-present in Barca’s first XI. He’s made over 500 appearances at the club, and is currently in the midst of his 12th season at the Nou Camp. He’s also one of their most decorated players, with a total of 28 major trophies to his name.
#7 Cesc Fabregas
A part of La Masia from the age of 10 years old, midfielder Cesc Fabregas made a huge decision at the age of 16; feeling that first-team opportunities at the Nou Camp could be limited, he made a move to Arsenal in September 2003, and quickly became their youngest ever player when he debuted in an EFL Cup match against Rotherham United.
Fabregas took some time to establish himself as a starter at the North London side, but went on to become one of the Premier League’s most renowned midfielders, usually being deployed by Arsene Wenger as a deep-lying playmaker. By 2010 – after winning Arsenal’s Player of the Year award twice – reports began to emerge linking him with a move back to the Nou Camp, and in the summer of 2011, he made a €29m move back to Catalonia.
The midfielder stayed for 3 seasons at Barcelona – winning a La Liga title in 2012-13 in the process – and then moved back to England with Chelsea in the summer of 2014, where he promptly won 4 more trophies, including two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the UEFA Europa League. He now plies his trade in France’s Ligue 1 with Monaco.
#6 Pep Guardiola
While he’s now better-known as a manager, who of course delivered an unprecedented level of success to Barcelona in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, Pep Guardiola was also one of the highest-rated players to have ever been produced by La Masia, and across the 1990’s he established himself as one of La Blaugrana’s most important players.
Guardiola joined the Catalan club at the age of 13 and rose through the ranks for 6 years before debuting in their first team in 1990. Deployed as a deep-lying playmaker by Johan Cruyff, the 20-year old became a first-team regular in the 1991-92 season, and ended it with victories in La Liga and the European Cup too.
It was 2001 by the time Guardiola finally left the Nou Camp, moving at the age of 30 to Serie A side Brescia. By the point that he left, he’d completed an impressive 11 seasons in Barca’s first team, amassing 382 appearances and collecting 15 trophies – including 6 La Liga titles – along the way. 7 years later he’d return as first team manager – and the rest is history.
#5 Sergio Busquets
Barcelona’s passing master, defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets is currently in the midst of his 12th season at the Nou Camp, and his importance to La Blaugrana doesn’t seem like it’ll begin to wane any time soon. Signing with the club at the age of 16 in 2005, Busquets broke into Barca’s first team in 2008, and has essentially been an ever-present since.
Renowned as one of the world’s best deep-lying midfielders, Busquets became known for a playing style that would see him intercept the ball or break down the opposition’s play before using his phenomenal passing range to begin attacks, rarely relinquishing possession. Along with the likes of Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi, he was a key component of boss Pep Guardiola’s tiki-taka style.
Over his years at the Nou Camp, Busquets has won a ridiculous amount of trophies – 29 in total including 8 La Liga titles and 3 Champions Leagues – and while he isn’t the flashiest player, few men have been as important to the cause of La Blaugrana in the last decade.
#4 Carles Puyol
Central defender Carles Puyol – instantly recognisable by fans due to his curly mop of hair – signed with Barcelona in 1995 as a 17-year old, and didn’t depart the Nou Camp until his retirement at the age of 36, ending his career as one of football’s rare one-club men. In the end, Puyol made almost 600 appearances for La Blaugrana, becoming a legend in the process.
Puyol broke into the first team at the Nou Camp in the summer of 1999 under boss Louis Van Gaal, and was quickly converted from a right-back to a central defender. It turned out to be the right call, and over the next few seasons he was a first team regular, and was promoted to be club captain at the end of 2003-04.
It was with Puyol as captain that Barca had their most fruitful years; the defender held the armband as the Catalan side won 2 La Liga titles and the Champions League under boss Frank Rijkaard, and when Pep Guardiola took over the reins, he remained a key player, captaining the side to a further 4 league titles and two more Champions Leagues. By the time he retired in 2014, Puyol had lifted 17 trophies at the club, all as captain.
#3 Xavi
Widely recognised as one of the greatest midfielders to ever play the game – and perhaps the best distributor of the ball in football history – Xavi spent a total of 17 seasons embedded in Barcelona’s first team after joining La Masia in 1991 as an 11-year old. Along the way he won a total of 25 trophies, including 8 La Liga titles and 4 Champions Leagues.
The central midfielder first broke into Barca’s first team in the 1998-99 season, but it was in 1999-00 that he really began to shine, given his chance as the side’s primary playmaker ironically due to an injury suffered by Pep Guardiola – who would of course go on to coach Xavi during his greatest seasons at the club.
By the time Guardiola was appointed as Barca boss, Xavi was widely recognised as a somewhat underrated performer, but under his former teammate he became world-renowned for his passing range, playing as the metronome in Guardiola’s tiki-taka system and earning the nickname ‘The Puppet Master’ for his ability to dictate a match. In 2009, 2010 and 2011 Xavi finished in 3rd place in the prestigious Ballon d’Or award – and likely would’ve won had it not been for the brilliance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
#2 Andres Iniesta
If it wasn’t for a certain Argentine genius, Andres Iniesta might well be considered the finest player to ever pull on the famous Barcelona jersey. The playmaker signed with La Blaugrana at the age of 12 and came through the La Masia system to emerge in the first team in the 2002-03 season. He took some time to establish himself as a first-team regular, but by 2004-05 he was seen as one of the Catalan side’s most improved players, and the following season saw him win a league and Champions League double.
Like his illustrious midfield partner Xavi, Iniesta’s highest achievements came under Pep Guardiola when the former midfielder took over the side in the summer of 2008. It was his phenomenal performances from the centre of the pitch that helped Barca win another Champions League – after which, he was christened as the best player in the world by Wayne Rooney – whose Manchester United side were beaten by Barca in the tournament’s final.
Seemingly blessed with the ability to unlock even the toughest defence, Iniesta departed the Nou Camp at the end of the 2017-18 season after completing 16 seasons there, winning a total of 32 trophies, including 9 La Liga titles and 4 Champions Leagues. He also famously scored the winning goal for Spain in their triumphant 2010 World Cup campaign, cementing himself as one of the finest players of his generation.
#1 Lionel Messi
It couldn’t really be anyone else, could it? Argentine magician Lionel Messi famously moved to Barcelona at the age of 13, when the club’s scouts spotted his immense talents and offered to pay for the growth hormone treatment he needed to develop physically. Almost 20 years later, he’s widely recognised as arguably the greatest player to ever step onto a football field, and is by far the greatest graduate of La Masia.
Messi debuted in Barca’s first team in the 2004-05 season as a 17-year old, and it’s honestly hard to quantify his incredible achievements in the years that have followed. As of the time of writing, the Argentine has appeared 706 times for La Blaugrana and has scored an insane 618 goals – averaging nearly a goal per game – and in his 16 seasons at the Nou Camp, he’s scored more than 50 goals 6 times – with 73 being his personal record in 2011-12.
A striker, playmaker and arguably the greatest dribbler of the ball ever, Messi has won countless numbers of individual trophies – including 6 Ballon d’Or awards – and has also been Europe’s top scorer in 6 seasons. He’s helped Barca to a ridiculous 34 trophies, including 10 La Liga titles and 4 Champions Leagues – and he doesn’t appear to be slowing down even at the age of 32. Simply put, he’s the greatest player in Barcelona’s history.
