The Under-20 World Cup is starting this week in Argentina, and FC Barcelona will have their eyes set on the tournament. Like most other clubs, the Catalans will also be on the lookout for the best performers in the tournament, with intentions to obtain the best talents in the world before they get too expensive.
According to a report from SPORT, this tournament is one of the most important events for the FC Barcelona scouting department. Currently being headed by Paulo Araujo, two members from the club’s scouting department will be keeping a close eye on the proceedings of the tournament, where they will be rivaled by representatives from all the other major European clubs.
Representatives and scouts from the club have already attended three other major grassroots tournaments held in South America this year. Firstly, there was the Copa Sao Paulo de Juniores, which is the traditional Copinha, the tournament seen as the benchmark of youth tournaments in Brazil.
Following the Copinha, there have been two editions of the South American youth tournaments, the U-20 and the U-17. The U-20 was held in Colombia, and it was there that FC Barcelona scouts got attracted by Vitor Roque, who is now the number one long-term priority for the club for the striker position.
The U-17 tournament was held in Ecuador, and here too, the club officials were attracted by other Brazilians, particularly Kaua Elias, and Rayan. Brazil won both of these youth-level tournaments.
Thus, as the U-20 World Cup kicks off, FC Barcelona scouts will be getting another chance to see their targeted youth players close in action while also hoping to identify other high-potential players from around the World.