Ranking the best graduates from Barcelona's La Masia in the last decade
Through La Masia, Barcelona have had the opportunity to pluck out some of the most exciting talents across the world. These players tend to be raw prodigies at the time of their recruitment, and are groomed to become superstars of the future.
Considered to be one of the finest sporting institutions ever, La Masia has been home to the who's who of football for ages now. The pinnacle of the institution's success came in 2012 when Barcelona fielded a more than competent XI, consisting purely of La Masia graduates, against Levante. This is a testament to the credibility of the academy in its own being.
Barcelona's complicated relationship with La Masia
It is common knowledge by now that the likes of Pepe Reina, Mauro Icardi, Mikel Arteta, and many more spent the initial stages of their careers with Barca's esteemed academy. However, there are still a bunch of unrecognized stalwarts that slipped through the vision of the mainstream. Former Barcelona captain Sergi Barjuán and UCL winner Luis Garcia are some of the notable examples that fit this bill.
Over the past few years, the great names associated with the Catalan joint have been dominated by the graduates of the past. Barcelona have slowly shifted their focus from developing their youth to acquiring already-proven players on massive fees and wages. As a result, some of La Masia's most disappointing products have been from the post-2010 batch.
Even so, there have been a few gems that have managed to trickle their way through. Here, we take a look at the five best talents that completed their footballing education in La Masia and started their senior careers in the post-2011 era, with or outside Barcelona:
#5 Álex Grimaldo | SL Benfica
The one that got away, Alex Grimaldo is one of the few players who, despite having risen up the ranks at Barcelona, departed the club without making a single appearance for the Blaugrana.
With Jordi Alba proving to be indispensable in the left-back slot, Grimaldo's decision to continue his development elsewhere was deemed risky at the time. However, seeing that Alba is still the number one choice at the said position six years later shows that his La Masia counterpart did the right thing by moving to Benfica in 2016.
Since then, Barcelona have used as many as four players to deputize for Alba, none of whom are currently contracted to the club. Meanwhile, Grimaldo has flourished overseas, turning into an inventive full-back with excellent dribbling abilities. The 25-year-old Spaniard has accumulated an impressive 54 goal contributions in over 200 games for the Portuguese club.
With the demand for offensive fullbacks at its peak in modern football, players like Grimaldo are understandably highly sought after. The former La Masia prodigy has been constantly linked to a move back to Camp Nou in addition to other rumors. It seems Grimaldo will have to make yet another career-defining decision sooner rather than later.
#4 Marc Cucurella | Getafe CF
Another casualty on the left-flank, Marc Cucurella was sold to Getafe in 2020, after spending a season with the Azulones, on loan.
Graduating from La Masia in 2017, the Catalan defender was then promoted to the B team where he went on to make 54 appearances. Impressed by his defensive contributions as well as attacking output, Barcelona signed him as a squad player in 2018. But they immediately loaned him to fellow La Liga side Eibar, after just seven minutes of action with the first team.
The 23-year-old Spaniard has evolved from being a traditional left-back to a full fledged fullback, making the western flank of the pitch his own. Cucurella's superior technical abilities and close control of the ball have brought in a hoard of suitors for the former La Masia resident. Brighton are one of many clubs rumored to be monitoring his situation closely.
Cucurella still has a lot to prove, having only made 119 senior appearances in his career so far. Whether he follows in Jordi Alba's footsteps to become an offensive defender or adapts himself to a more advanced stance is yet to be seen. Regardless, Cucurella is without doubt one of the brightest talents let go by Barcelona in the past decade.
Also read: 10 most disappointing graduates from Barcelona's La Masia academy in the 21st century