The Barcelona B team is the reserve team of FC Barcelona and in Spain and plays in a league system similar to the first team albeit at least a division lower. This is different from the rules in England where the reserve teams have a separate league of their own. Further, these Spanish reserve teams cannot play in the Copa del Rey as well.
The Barcelona B team is one of the most famous teams as it has been the home of the finest prospects of La Masia, the famed academy of Barcelona. Players step up through the academy ranks and make a name here before getting a call into the first team. Players such as Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets have come through the system.
In recent times, not many players are being seen transitioning to the first team with a lot of emphasis on short-term fixes and success. This is in contrast to the scenario from five-six years back when the squad was comprised of several players who have come through the ranks.
This has led to a reduction in importance of the B team but nevertheless, the talent pool which Barcelona has cannot cease all at once and their B team still buzzes with talent. Currently playing in the Spanish third division, Barcelona B has a number of players both from La Masia and also from transfers abroad.
So, here they are ranked in order of their current talent and potential.
#24 Alberto Varo Lara
The 23-year old goalkeeper was brought in on loan from Gimnastic de Tarragona as a back-up for the main keeper due to his ability with the ball at his feet. Sharing a surname with a legendary cricketer in Brian Lara, Alberto is very likely not a future prospect for the club and is expected to return to his home club once the season ends.
#23 Seung-Ho Paik
The South Korean joined the club in 2009 and is a versatile midfielder who can play through the middle as well as on either flank. The 20-year old Paik came through the ranks before making his Barcelona B team debut in the 2015/16 season.
Currently, Paik is a full squad member of the Barcelona B team but needs to play more in order to have a future at the club.
#22 Borja López Menéndez
Borja Lopez started in the Sporting Gijon academy and went on to play for the first team as well before moving on to French side AS Monaco. He had various loan spells at Rayo Vallecano, Deportivo La Coruna and Arouca before signing with Barcelona.
A tall, strong defender who is good with the ball at his feet, the 23-year old might be a little too old to have a crack at the first team especially with Samuel Umtiti making a stellar start to his Barcelona career.
#21 José Antonio Martínez Gil
The 23-year old defender joined from Sevilla in the summer and travelled with the first team for the pre-season as well. A tall, left-footed defender Martinez was a key part of Sevilla B team’s promotion to Second Division A in the 2015/16 season.
When his contract expired, he chose to sign for Barcelona instead of renewing his contract, as he is a childhood Barcelona fan. A tough defender who is excellent in the air, Martinez will find it difficult to break into the first team anytime soon due to the players ahead of him.
#20 Alberto Perea Correoso
The oldest player at 26 years of age in the Barcelona B team, Perea provides width and pace playing as a right winger. He loves to cut inside and can play up front as well making him a versatile option.
The Spaniard played for Rayo Vallecano in La Liga as well and was signed last year, providing much-required experience and has scored nine goals so far this season for the B team. Since he has been brought in for the B team alone and considering his age, one can expect him not to be part of the first team plans at any point of time.
#19 Josep Miquel Fernández Codina 'Xemi’
A tall central midfielder who became famous for his wonderful goal for Cornella that took them up to the second division, Xemi joined Gerard Lopez’s Barcelona B team in 2015. He is a constant fixture in the B team at the moment and has made 28 appearances so far, scoring two goals.
Xemi’s height makes him a threat from set-pieces giving his side a different edge and he is versatile enough to play anywhere in the centre of the park. It remains to be seen whether the 22-year old can make it to the first team.
#18 Rafael Giménez Jarque 'Fali'
One of the more experienced players in the side, having played around a hundred games for Levante B, Huracan and Gimnastic before joining Barcelona, Fali is, therefore, one of the vice-captains of the team both for his experience and character.
A defensive midfielder, who can play centre-back as well, Fali is defensively strong and an excellent ball-winner. The 23-year old is currently on loan till 2018 and he needs to step up further if he needs to at least become a back-up for Sergio Busquets in the first team.
#17 Ignacio Abeledo Rute
A left-footed winger, considered to be one of the best in the Real Betis academy, Abeledo joined Barcelona in June of last year. A technically sound player who is surprisingly tall for his position, Abeledo has the ability to play across the front three.
The 21-year old has already represented Spain in the under-17 and under-18 levels and is an exciting prospect for the Barcelona B team.
#16 Jesús Alfaro Ligero
The second-oldest player in the squad at 25 years of age, Alfaro is a product of the Sevilla youth system and joined Barcelona from Alcoyano at the start of this season. He is a versatile attacker who can play across the front three.
Alfaro has scored 9 goals and was involved in 13 more as per Transfermarkt.com and is a valuable addition to the B team. However, he very likely will not be involved with the first team given his age and will stay as an important B team player.
#15 Moisés Delgado López
An experienced addition to the Barcelona B team, Moises made over 80 appearances for Sevilla B team and also played two matches for their first team before joining the Catalans. The 22-year old therefore brings a wealth of experience into the team.
Known to be an aggressive left-back, Moises has been ruled out of the season with a metatarsal fracture in March. It remains to be seen whether he can have a go at the first team when he returns back from injury.
#14 Rafael Sebastian Mujica
A tall, hard-working striker, Mujica joined Barcelona to join the under-12 squad from Las Palmas. He became a full squad member of Gerard Lopez’s Barcelona B team from this 2016/17 league season.
Despite being tall, Mujica is a mobile striker and at 18 years of age, he has a lot of time to develop into a top striker for the Catalan club having already scored for the first team against English champions Leicester City last summer.
#13 Adrià Vilanova Chaure
Vilanova is a product of Barcelona’s youth academy La Masia and is a defender by trade. The 20-year old has risen through the ranks and his impressive performances with the U-19 A squad last season fetched him an upgrade to the reserve team this season.
Holding a surname similar to the former assistant to Pep Guardiola and later manager Tito Vilanova, Adria is excellent with the ball at his feet and that ability will bode him well at the club.
#12 Francisco José Perdomo Borges (Nili)
Comfortable at both right-back and the right side of midfield, the Las Palmas academy graduate joined Barcelona this season and was drafted for the pre-season tour before winning his first trophy with Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup at the start of the season.
He was also named in the 30-man shortlist for the UEFA Champions League this season. However, at 23 years of age, Nili needs to step up if he has to make it at Barcelona given the intense competition and pressure to succeed at the Catalan club.
#11 Daniel Romera Andújar
The Andalusian started out at Almeria, including playing for the first team before signing up with the Barcelona B team. Romera is a pacy striker with a willingness to press and is currently the top scorer of the B team with 15 goals.
He was a part of the first team’s pre-season last summer and yet finds it difficult to make an impact in the first team with the likes of Luis Suarez and Paco Alcacer ahead of him. At 21 years of age, time could be running out for the young striker to make the grade.
#10 Ferran Sarsanedas Soler
Sarsanedas joined Barcelona at the age of 11 and came through the youth system to become a part of the B team in the 2016/17 season. A defensive midfielder who is strong, skilful and possessing an excellent touch, the 20-year old is one of the young players in Europe to be nominated for the 2017 European Golden Boy award.
A player in the Sergio Busquets mould, Sarsanedas is having a good season with the B team and will have a chance to make an impression with the first team soon.
#9 Gerard Gumbau Garriga
One of the vice-captains in the team, Gumbau came through Girona’s academy before signing with Barcelona. The central midfielder was called upon by Luis Enrique a number of times until this season and he has made 9 appearances so far for the first team.
The 22-year old however has seen his game-time drastically reduce this season. The Barcelona B team prospered with his services though and he has scored seven goals for the B team so far. He will be hoping to get further opportunities in the next season when there is a managerial change.
#8 Rodrigo Tarín Higón
The 20-year old started his career at Valencia before moving on to Barcelona where he made his B team debut in the 2015-16 season. The defender is known for being tough as well as for his penchant for taking the ball forward, an important trait at Barcelona. He is also one of the vice-captains in the Barcelona B team.
A cruciate ligament rupture last November ended his season and he will be expecting to bounce back next season. A player similar to Gerard Pique, Tarin has represented Spain at the youth levels as well.
#7 Wilfrid Jaures Kaptoum
When one thinks of a Cameroon player and Barcelona, Samuel Eto’o is the first player who comes to mind. Right from the Samuel Eto’o academy comes a player to further Cameroon’s legacy in the form of Kaptoum. The 20-year old joined Barcelona in 2008 and made his debut for the B team while he was still an under-19 player.
He made his debut for the first team in 2015 and scored his first goal last February when he equalised against Valencia in the Copa del Rey, thereby extending the Blaugrana’s unbeaten run to 29 games, crossing Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona record of the 2010-11 season. A pacy midfielder with an eye for goal, Kaptoum is one of the hot prospects in the B team.
#6 José Aurelio Suárez García
The 21-year old Asturian goalkeeper joined Barcelona in 2012 and is the first-choice goalkeeper in the Barcelona B team. Highly rated by the club and having the name of a famous first-teamer (Luis Suarez), he has received offers from teams in Segunda A as well as La Liga, which were rebuffed by the club.
His potential did not go unnoticed as he travelled with the team for the pre-season tour last summer and made the 30-man shortlist for this season’s UEFA Champions League. Further, he is one of the vice-captains of the B team as well.
#5 Àlex Carbonell
The 19-year old midfielder started out with Barcelona before having a brief stint at Cornella, only to return back to the Catalan club. An attacking midfielder who can play out wide as a winger and also in the “false nine” position made famous by Lionel Messi, Carbonell has been a regular with the first team squad.
He renewed his contract last year and made his debut in the Copa del Rey tie away at Hercules last November. His versatility, touch and vision make him a valuable asset to the club and he can be expected to make the grade as he gains experience.
#4 Marc Cardona
A bright prospect, Cardona was signed last summer from Atlético Sanluqueño. He had scored a whopping 20 goals at his previous club to help them secure promotion into the Spanish second division, Cardona was drafted straight into Gerard Lopez’s B team on joining and was a part of the first team’s pre-season tour as well as the UEFA Champions League squad. Cardona made two substitute appearances for the first team towards the end of the year before an injury halted his progress in December.
On returning from injury, he has once again regained his form and found himself a place on the first-team bench due to Arda Turan’s injury and Neymar’s suspension recently. He could, in fact, make the bench for the all-important El Clasico against Real Madrid as well. He has also scored 12 goals for the B team, despite the injury, showing the 21-year old has the potential to lead the line for the first team one day.
#3 Sergi Palencia Hurtado
The current captain of the Barcelona B team, Palencia joined Barcelona from Badalona at the age of 12. A natural captain, having captained most teams while rising through the ranks, the 21-year old made his debut for the B team while still being an under-19 player.
Given Barcelona’s dearth in right-back options since Dani Alves left for Juventus with Sergi Roberto currently playing there, Palencia was named in the UEFA Champions League squad for this season. He is good in the air and known to be an excellent crosser of the ball, which gives him a chance to play for the first-team in the near future.
#2 Marlon Santos
The Brazilian was brought in on loan from Brazilian club Fluminense, with whom he won the Premiera Liga in 2016, and is one of the surest prospects to switch to the first-team next season. His training sessions are integrated with the first team and he made his debut in the Champions League game at Celtic last year.
Barcelona’s sporting director Robert Fernandez considers him almost ready for the first team and with first team manager Luis Enrique leaving in the summer, Marlon could grab his chance to claim a squad place at the expense of Jeremy Mathieu who will very likely be sold. He is also the highest valued player from the B team on transfermarkt.com at €3.5 million and Barcelona are set to make his transfer permanent by paying Fluminense €5 million in the summer.
#1 Carles Aleñá
One of the two players in the Barcelona B team with a transfermarkt.com value over a million, and also one of the two players considered almost ready to step up into the first team, Alena has been at Barcelona since the age of eight. He has made three appearances for the first team this season and scored in the Copa del Rey match against Hercules last November.
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The 19-year old has an excellent left-foot, great vision and long-range shooting ability to go along with his superb technical ability, making him one of the best young players at the club and is currently negotiating a new contract at the club. He is expected to sign the new contract and with comparisons to Rivaldo emerging as well, Alena looks set to be the next home-grown player who steps up into the first team.
