La Masia has been one of the most important ingredients in the success that FC Barcelona has enjoyed over the course of their illustrious history. The academy has been providing the club with a never-ending supply of talent, while the club has also bought some of the most promising stars from the market, and remains one of the best clubs for player development.
The club’s emphasis on youth development is evident from the latest list of nominees for the Golden Boy Award this season. This award is given by the newspaper Tuttosport to the best under-21 player in Europe, and the list of 100 candidates for this award has been published by the newspaper.
According to SPORT, FC Barcelona are represented in this list by not one but two players, i.e., Gavi and Balde. Gavi is the current holder of the award, as he won it the last season, but in this list, he is on the third rank, following new Real Madrid signing Jude Bellingham, and Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala.
Alejandro Balde is also present in this list and has taken up the fifth place. After Balde, the next Spaniard on the list is Arnau Martinez, who takes up the 18th position. Martinez has also been linked to FC Barcelona in recent months, as the club is looking to bolster its right-back position.
The list features candidates from 33 countries in total, with the highest number of players featuring from France (14). Denmark (10), England (8), Germany (5), Belgium (5), and Argentina (5) are also well-represented in the list. These players also play in different positions on the pitch, with 4 goalkeepers, 32 defenders, 43 midfielders, and 21 forwards making up the list.
The highest number of candidates in the list play in the English Premier League (13), followed by Ligue 1 (10) and Bundesliga (9).
Thus, Barcelona again are one of the best clubs for young talents are two of the top-5 under-21 players play for the club. While currently ranked third, Gavi can again win the award this season, and help FC Barcelona retain the status of one of the best clubs for young talent in Europe.
