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La Masia

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For a type of rural construction common to the Catalan Countries, see Masia.
La Masia de Can Planes
La Masia (Can Planas) (Barcelona) - 1.jpg
Main façade of La Masia
La Masia is located in Spain
La Masia
Location within Spain
Alternative names La Masia
General information
Town or city Barcelona
Country Spain
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Completed 1702
Renovated 1966
Owner FC Barcelona

La Masia de Can Planes, usually shortened to La Masia, (Catalan pronunciation: [ɫə məˈzi.ə], English: "The Farmhouse"),[1] is the name of FC Barcelona's football training facilities, originally located near the Camp Nou in the Les Corts district of Barcelona, and is often used to generically describe the Barcelona youth academy. The youth academy of Barcelona holds more than 300 young players, and has been praised since 2002 as one of the best in the world, being a significant factor in FC Barcelona's European success as well as the Spanish national team's success at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and the 2008 and 2012 Euro's.[citation needed]

In 2010, La Masia achieved a record breaking honour becoming the first youth academy to have trained all three finalists for the Ballon d'Or in a single year, with Andrés Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernández.[2]

The original building itself was an ancient country residence (In Catalan: masia) built in 1702, and once Camp Nou was inaugurated in 1957, the building was remodelled and extended for use as the club's social headquarters. With the gradual expansion of the club, the building became too small for headquarters, and on 20 October 1979, La Masia was converted into a dormitory for young players from outside of Barcelona. On June 30, 2011, the Masia building ceased housing the young sportsmen who are trained to become a part of the club’s professional teams. In a simple ceremony, the doors were closed and the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper took over the function of the residential center for the youngsters.

History

In 1979 Johan Cruyff wanted to establish a copy of the Ajax Academy in Barcelona. His proposal was accepted by president Josep Núñez.

La Masia de Can Planes was an old Catalan farmhouse, built in 1702. In 1979 it was first used by the club to house its young footballers who originated from outside of Barcelona.[3] The idea for the youth academy was proposed to Núñez by Johan Cruyff, and Oriol Tort was put in charge of the facility.[4]

In 2011 it was announced that Barcelona would be moving all its football training activities to La Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.[5]

La Masia received more publicity after Barcelona B's success with homegrown players; Rory Smith reported in The Daily Telegraph that La Masia "has replaced the fabled Ajax Academy as football's foremost production line."[6] The recent fame and success of La Masia as a talent school was ascribed by Ian Hawkey of The Times to the class of 1987, which featured prominent members as Cesc Fàbregas, Lionel Messi, Gerard Piqué and Pedro Rodríguez.[7] In 2000, Louis van Gaal, coach of FC Barcelona's first team, was widely ridiculed by the city sports media for his dream to win the Champions League with 11 home-grown players. The first team won the trophy in 2009 with eight home-grown players.[8]

From 1979 to 2009, 440 youngsters have left their homes and families to stay at the academy. About half of them were from Catalonia, and the rest came from other regions of the Kingdom of Spain and beyond, including 15 from Cameroon, 7 from Brazil, 5 from Senegal and 3 from Argentina. Of those 440, 40 made it into Barcelona's first team.[9]

Organization

La Masia houses about 60 players: 10 in the farmhouse, and the rest in rooms of the adjacent stadium; the rest of the youth players must provide for their own accommodation.[3][10] The academy is one of the most expensive in Europe, operating at a cost of £5 million a year. The main cost is the dormitory, La Masia itself.[10] The minimum age for the youth program is six years; each year, more than 1,000 boys from the ages of six to eight try out for admittance. The best 200 are selected.[11] The club also actively seeks for prospective students; it employs a system in which 15 scouts are deployed in Catalonia, 15 in the rest of Spain and 10 scattered throughout the world. To alleviate the expenses of this scouting, the club has an agreement with 15 local clubs for them to train players who are not ready for entry into the youth academy. In return, FC Barcelona gives money, coaching and technical advice to these clubs for their services.[12] While expanding its operations abroad, the club established five schools in Mexico and one in Egypt; successful applicants to these schools become full-time students, receiving academic education and football training.[13]

When Guardiola re-organised the reserve side, he set up a three-staged program to formalise the advancement from Juvenil to Barcelona B and finally to the first team. The first stage of a youth player's career involves a rotation scheme with Barcelona B. The second stage involves making the player aware of his importance to the team and the expectation that the player will improve cohesion and performance within the reserve side. In the last stage, he is designated a "key" player of the B team and might be called to the first team. One of the players in the third phase is made captain, regardless of the experience of older players.[8]

The teams at Barcelona play from August to May; mild weather at La Masia allows players to train outdoors throughout the year. The youth teams train after school; Barcelona B plays as a professional team, training in the morning and evening.[14] All of the trainers at FC Barcelona are former professional footballers.[15]

FC Barcelona B, the club's main youth team, and the 12 other youth teams contained 24 coaches and more than 300 players. There are 56 other employees, including doctors, psychologists, nutritionists, cooks and physiologists.[10] In the 2009–10 season, the B team qualified for the Segunda División again. Barcelona B play in a 4-3-3 formation, which is the same formation employed by the first team.[16]

Sergio Busquets, a graduate of La Masia, has been a part of the Barcelona first team since 2008.
Squad Age Head Coach Assistant Coach League
Barcelona B[n 1] – Gerard López Francisco García Pimienta Segunda División B (Gr. 3)
Juvenil A 16–18 Gabri García Albert Jorquera División de Honor (Gr. 3)
Juvenil B 16–18 Quique Álvarez Denis Silva Liga Nacional (Gr. 7)
Cadete A 14–15 Franc Artiga Xavier Franquesa División de Honor
Cadete B 14–15 Cristian Catena Carlos López Preferente (Gr. 1)
Infantil A 12–13 Carles Martínez Isaac García División de Honor
Infantil B 12–13 Sergi Milà Óscar Hernández Preferente (Gr. 1)
Alevín A 10–11 Marc Serra Pau Moral Fútbol 7 Preferente (Gr. 1)
Alevín B 10–11 Jordi Font Josep Ramon Olivé Fútbol 7 Preferente (Gr. 2)
Alevín C 10–11 Óscar Jorquera David Sánchez Fútbol 7 Primera División (Gr. 1)
Alevín D 10–11 Daniel Horcas Miguel Ángel Caldeón Fútbol 7 Primera División (Gr. 2)
Benjamín A 8–9 Jordi Pérez Rafael Rodríguez Fútbol 7 Preferente (Gr. 1)
Benjamín B 8–9 David Sánchez Alejandro Urrestarazu Fútbol 7 Preferente (Gr. 2)
Benjamín C 8–9 Albert Puig Joaquim Ramon Fútbol 7 Primera División (Gr. 1)
Benjamín D 8–9 Alexis Pinto Adrià Díaz Fútbol 7 Primera División (Gr. 2)
Prebenjamín 6–7 Juanan Gil Daniel Segovia Benjamín 7 Segunda División (Gr. 4)

[citation needed]

Philosophy

Guillermo Amor, Albert Ferrer, Josep Mussons (Barça Vice-president) and Pep Guardiola. This photo was displayed for many years at the entrance of La Masia dining room. Their signature, in Catalan language, encourages future young Barça players by saying "With effort and sacrifice, you can also make it. Just do it, it is worth it!".

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"The player who has passed through La Masia has something different to the rest, it's a plus that only comes from having competed in a Barcelona shirt from the time you were a child."

— Former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola[18]

Former technical director, Pep Segura, attributes the club's success to its "philosophy of play": "It is about creating one philosophy, one mentality, from the bottom of the club to the top". The philosophy consists of the application of total football mixed with traditional Spanish one-touch play (tiqui-taka). The total football approach was derived from the Netherlands football team through Cruyff.[6] The total football approach requires the players to move in a fluid formation, where players can interchange positions quickly. In the youth academy, there is a large focus on technical ability, which is seen as a pre-requisite for inter-changes.[6][19] An often-quoted reason for Barcelona's success is the continuity and commitment with which Barcelona follow the current philosophy of pass and move. Guardiola was the prototype of the pivotal midfielder; current midfielders Xavi and Iniesta are its custodians.[20]

Another aspect of La Masia is its marked Catalan national character—local talent in the service of a club with a strong, defining sense of the cultural make-up of Catalonia.[21] The supporters often prefer locally developed players to foreign players if the players are equally talented. In this way, the emphasis on homegrown talent concurs with UEFA's attempts to curb the influx of foreign players in clubs.[21] The head of UEFA, Michel Platini said: "Barcelona represent my philosophy, not only for the game, but also for the training of athletes".[22]

Impact

The new Masia residence, opened in 2011 at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.

In 2009, Messi became the first player from La Masia to be awarded with the Ballon d'Or prize for the best footballer in Europe, and the FIFA World Player award, for the best footballer in the world.[23]

On 11 July 2010, Spain won the World Cup final with eight players from Barcelona; seven were from La Masia, and six of them were in the starting line-up: Gerard Piqué, Carles Puyol, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernández, Sergio Busquets, and Pedro Rodríguez. This set a record for the most players to be provided by a club side for a team in a World Cup final.[24] Joachim Löw, coach of Germany, said after his side's defeat by Spain that the opposition had a distinct Barcelona style: "You can see it in every pass, how Spain plays is how Barcelona plays. They can hardly be beaten. They are extremely confident and very calm in the way they circulate the ball."[25]

Alumni

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Below is a sortable list of La Masia alumni who have played in more than 200 professional top-tier league games. Only league appearances (first and second division) and goals are included.[n 2]

FC Barcelona includes games of FC Barcelona B in second division.

Name Nationality[n 3] Position Year of birth Career[n 4] Appearances[citation needed] Goals Clubs
Ángel Pedraza  Spain Defender 1962 1980–1997 341 20 Barcelona, Mallorca
Luis Milla  Spain Midfielder 1966 1984–2001 338 11 Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia
Nayim  Spain Midfielder 1966 1985–2000 387 35 Barcelona, Tottenham, Zaragoza, Logroñés
Guillermo Amor  Spain Midfielder 1967 1984–2003 451 58 Barcelona, Fiorentina, Villarreal, Livingston
Cristóbal Parralo  Spain Defender 1967 1986–2003 558 14 Barcelona, Oviedo, Logroñés, Espanyol, PSG
Albert Ferrer  Spain Defender 1970 1988–2003 328 2 Barcelona, Tenerife, Chelsea
Toni Jiménez  Spain Goalkeeper 1970 1991–2004 367 0 Figueres, Rayo, Espanyol, Atlético Madrid, Elche
Sergi Barjuán  Spain Defender 1971 1991–2005 395 10 Barcelona, Atlético Madrid
Pep Guardiola  Spain Midfielder 1971 1990–2006 328 14 Barcelona, Brescia, Roma, Al Ahli, Dorados de Sinaloa
Antonio Pinilla  Spain Forward 1971 1988–2008 452 73 Barcelona, Mallorca, Albacete, Tenerife, Salamanca, Gimnàstic
Lluís Carreras  Spain Defender 1972 1991–2007 318 33 Barcelona, Oviedo, Racing, Mallorca, Atlético Madrid, Murcia, Alavés
Luis Cembranos  Spain Midfielder 1972 1992–2004 246 45 Figueres, Barcelona, Espanyol, Rayo
Óscar García  Spain Midfielder 1973 1991–2005 271 58 Barcelona, Albacete, Valencia, Espanyol, Lleida
Jordi Cruyff  Netherlands Midfielder 1974 1992–2010 299 55 Barcelona, Manchester United, Celta, Alavés, Espanyol, Metalurh Donetsk, Valletta
Javi Moreno  Spain Forward 1974 1995–2010 229 71 Barcelona, Alavés, Numancia, Milan, Atlético Madrid, Bolton, Zaragoza, Córdoba
Quique Álvarez  Spain Defender 1975 1993–2009 370 8 Barcelona, Logroñés, Lleida, Villareal, Recreativo
Francesc Arnau  Spain Goalkeeper 1975 1995–2011 240 0 Barcelona, Málaga
Óscar Arpón  Spain Midfielder 1975 1995–2012 371 23 Barcelona, Betis, Racing, Mallorca, Osasuna, Poli Ejido, Recreativo, Salamanca, Gimnàstic
Albert Celades  Spain Midfielder 1975 1993–2009 281 15 Barcelona, Celta, Real Madrid, Girondins Bordeaux, Zaragoza, New York Red Bulls
Iván de la Peña  Spain Midfielder 1976 1993–2011 334 25 Barcelona, Lazio, Olympique Marseille, Espanyol
Roger García  Spain Midfielder 1976 1994–2007 284 35 Barcelona, Espanyol, Villarreal, Ajax
Francisco Rufete  Spain Midfielder 1976 1995–2012 404 33 Barcelona, Toledo, Málaga, Valencia, Espanyol, Hércules
Toni Velamazán  Spain Midfielder 1977 1994–2011 283 36 Barcelona, Oviedo, Albacete, Extremadura, Espanyol, Almería
Luis García  Spain Forward 1978 1998–¤ 417 89 Barcelona, Valladolid, Toledo, Tenerife, Atlético Madrid, Liverpool, Racing, Panathinaikos, Puebla, Pumas UNAM, Atlético Kolkata
Albert Luque  Spain Forward 1978 1997–2011 316 81 Mallorca, Málaga, Deportivo, Newcastle, Ajax
Carles Puyol  Spain Defender 1978 1996–2014 431 15 Barcelona
Gabri García  Spain Midfielder 1979 1998–2014 293 24 Barcelona, Ajax, Umm Salal, Sion, Lausanne
Gerard López  Spain Midfielder 1979 1996–2011 259 31 Barcelona, Valencia, Alavés, Monaco, Recreativo, Girona
Xavi Hernández  Spain Midfielder 1980 1998–¤ 510 57 Barcelona, Al Sadd
Roberto Trashorras  Spain Midfielder 1981 1999–¤ 301 34 Barcelona, Numancia, Las Palmas, Celta, Rayo
Mikel Arteta  Spain Midfielder 1982 2000–¤ 383 58 PSG, Rangers, Real Sociedad, Everton, Arsenal
Thiago Motta  Italy Midfielder 1982 2001–¤ 261 29 Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Genoa, Inter Milan, PSG
Fernando Navarro  Spain Defender 1982 2001–¤ 328 3 Barcelona, Albacete, Mallorca, Sevilla
Pepe Reina  Spain Goalkeeper 1982 2000–¤ 454 0 Barcelona, Villarreal, Liverpool, Napoli, Bayern Munich
Víctor Valdés  Spain Goalkeeper 1982 2002–¤ 387 0 Barcelona, Manchester United, Standard Liège
Sergio García  Spain Forward 1983 2003–¤ 320 77 Barcelona, Levante, Zaragoza, Betis, Espanyol
Joan Verdú  Spain Midfielder 1983 2002–¤ 264 41 Deportivo, Espanyol, Betis, Baniyas
Andrés Iniesta  Spain Midfielder 1984 2002–¤ 352 33 Barcelona
Cesc Fàbregas  Spain Midfielder 1987 2003–¤ 330 65 Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea
Lionel Messi  Argentina Forward 1987 2004–¤ 302 270 Barcelona
Gerard Piqué  Spain Defender 1987 2005–¤ 215 17 Manchester United, Zaragoza, Barcelona
Pedro  Spain Forward 1987 2008–¤ 231 65 Barcelona, Chelsea
Sergio Busquets  Spain Midfielder 1988 2008–¤ 238 6 Barcelona
Jordi Alba  Spain Defender 1989 2008–¤ 204 12 UE Cornellà, Valencia CF, Barcelona
Bojan Krkić  Spain Forward 1990 2007–¤ 221 54 Barcelona, Roma, Milan, Ajax, Stoke City

Notes

  1. ↑ No age restrictions; a fully professional team. Before the disbandment of Barcelona C, only players under 21 were allowed, but that is no longer the case.[17]
  2. ↑ All player information from La Liga can be found on the official La Liga homepage, which list player data for each completed season.[26]
  3. ↑ Country indicates national team as it has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
  4. ↑ Begins with first top-tier league game and ends with the last

References

Bibliographies
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Martí Perarnau, Senda de campeones : De La Masía al Camp Nou, 10 Books (Grup 62), 2011.
Notes
  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ totalbarca.com, It’s an all Barça affair at FIFA Ballon d’Or Archived December 10, 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (subscription required)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ McShane, Kevin. p. 39
  12. ↑ McShane, Kevin. p. 53
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ McShane, Kevin. p. 74-79
  15. ↑ McShane, Kevin. p. 105
  16. ↑ McShane, Kevin. p. 77
  17. ↑ McShane, Kevin. p. 79
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ McShane, Kevin. p. 74
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (subscription required)
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (subscription required)
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]

External links

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