The FC Barcelona youth academy, La Masia, once again turned out to be pivotal for the club as it has allowed the Blaugranes to remain competitive at the highest level in Spain and Europe despite their inability to get their desired transfer targets due to FFP constraints.
The famed academy has turned out some very high-quality players in the last few years, some of whom are a part of Hansi Flick’s team, while others have gone on to play for other clubs across the world.
But there are some other very promising youngsters still in the pipeline, who are showing very encouraging signs and are waiting for their moment to take the next step in their careers.
The most prominent players in this category are the Fernandez cousins, who belong to the generation of 2008, and who have already been called up by Flick to train and play with the first time on several occasions.
As SPORT has noted, another player from this generation who is also showing some very good signs of growth is Pol Bernabeu, who is an undisputed starter for Juvenil B, and recently played his first minutes with Juvenil A against Mercantil.
Currently, in his fourth season at the Barcelona academy, Bernabeu has shown remarkable growth after having joined from the Espanyol academy in the summer of 2021.
He mainly operates as a left-back, but can also play as an inside midfielder and also as a winger. He has stood out with his intelligence and compliance and has also shown himself to be a calm player.
With the ball, he particularly excels in controlling the ball and his great precision with passing. The player he most resembles is Manchester City’s Zinchenko, a midfielder converted into a fullback.
Going forward, the youngster needs to improve in defense, and the player himself is aware of this. With the help of his coaches, he is already working on this aspect, particularly on defensive duels and heading, as he dreams of becoming another Jordi Alba or Alejandro Balde for Barcelona.