Barcelona academy: The rising stars from La Masia to watch out for

Generally speaking, the average football fan cannot name the academies of many big teams in the world. But that is not the case for La Masia, arguably the greatest youth setup there has ever been.

Barcelona have produced many incredible players, be that for their own first-team or clubs across Europe. Players like Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets and many, many more players learnt their craft at La Masia.

It's an academy that is hard to judge when it comes to the next big thing as players are so quickly moved into the senior squad when deemed good enough. Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Pedri, Inaki Pena, Alejandro Balde and Fermin Lopez are playing regularly for the first team, with Yamal being just 16 years old.

The conveyor belt never stops at La Masia, so here are some players who could soon break through at Barca.

Pau Cubarsi

• Age: 16
• Position: Centre-back

The young Pau Cubarsi is getting a lot of attention at the moment for his performances at Barca Atletic, and as we have seen recently with Yamal, youngsters can be plucked by Xavi for selection at any point regardless of age.

Given his youth, he has made just nine appearances for Barca Atletic so far, but he has looked like he belongs at that level and will soon be looking to force his way into the first team. Cubarsi was on the bench for the Copa del Rey clash against Barbastro but never got on, but Xavi is clearly aware of his talents.

Hector Fort

• Age: 17
• Position: Right-back

Hector Fort is the player closest to regular first-team minutes on this list, as the young right-back has appeared twice for Barca this season. Right-back is a position Xavi is struggling with and Fort could take advantage of that if he can keep impressing.

He is able to play on both the right and left of the defence which immediately makes him appealing to coaches and fans have taken to him quickly. Having featured in the Copa del Rey against Barbastro, he is expected to continue playing in that tournament and moulding a place in the first team for himself.

Marc Bernal

• Age: 16
• Position: Defensive midfielder

This has been a great season for Marc Bernal so far and he could be coming of age at exactly the right time. It is no secret Barca have not been able to effectively replace Sergio Busquets, with Oriol Romeu and others currently sharing the role.

Standing at 6'1, Bernal is a tall central midfielder who is already being touted as Busquets' successor, but players from La Masia always have their own identity. Fans are keen for Xavi to give Bernal and other young midfield options a run in the team before the end of the season rather than looking at the transfer market.

Based on Pedri and Gavi, it might be worth listening to them.

Pau Prim

• Age: 17
• Position: Defensive midfielder

Another player Xavi could call upon if he wants a new deep-lying midfielder is Pau Prim. Slightly older than Bernal, he is a similar sort of midfielder who is developing quickly.

Interestingly, the younger Bernal may have a better shot at the first-team as things stand as he seems to be starting more games for Barca Atletic than Prim, making five more appearances. With so many talented youngsters who need minutes, it's not easy to give everyone a fair shot.

That aside, Prim is clearly a very talented midfielder and even if he doesn't force his way into the first-team, expect to see his name at a good level in European football in the future.

Alex Valle

• Age: 19
• Position: Left-back

Taking things in a slightly different direction, Alex Valle is an older player currently making an impact on loan away from Barca.

Valle is a 19-year-old left-back who has been impressing at Levante in the Segunda Division. He is not chipping in with goals and assists in the way he'd like, but there is a belief he will become a useful squad option for Barca after this experience given they are finding it tough to sign players.

He is out of contract at the end of the season, though, so Valle is certainly at a crossroads in his career. If he can't challenge Balde strongly enough in the first-team, he might have to ply his trade elsewhere.

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