FC Barcelona is blessed with the best academy in the world—La Masia. It has served as a talent factory, producing countless world-class players who have gone on to make their mark at the club, or elsewhere in the world of football.
This isn’t the first time La Masia has produced a golden generation. Back in 2008, when Pep Guardiola took over, he handpicked players from La Masia around whom he built one of the greatest club teams the football world has ever seen.
That team included legends like Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets, and Gerard Pique, who went on to define an era at the club.
History is repeating itself, as La Masia has once again produced a crop of players with the potential to become another golden generation for Barcelona, especially after years of struggle.
Hansi Flick has placed immense trust in the likes of Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Bernal, Marc Casado, Ansu Fati, Fermin Lopez, Alejandro Balde, Hector Fort, and Inaki Pena—players who look set to dominate in the seasons to come.
At Barca News Network, we believe now is the perfect time to highlight five La Masia prodigies who are ones to watch, as they aim to break into the first team.
1: Unai Hernandez
Unai Hernandez, the current Barcelona Atlètic captain, is the closest to breaking into the first team from La Masia. Unlike some other players, the 19-year-old followed a different path in his career before ending up at the Barcelona academy.
A product of the Girona youth academy where he made his way through the ranks, Unai joined the Barcelona reserve team in 2022 and has since quickly established himself as a mainstay for the quarry team. It is a testament to his hard work and talent that he has inherited the armband from Marc Casado this season.
A typical, diminutive #8 who can also play as a #10 or a quasi left-winger, playstyle-wise, Unai Hernandez reminds one of Andres Iniesta. He has a contract with Barcelona until 2025 and one would expect him to put pen to paper on a new deal very soon.
Often seen training with the first team, it is only a matter of time before Hansi gives Unai his debut. With four goals and one assist in 10 games in the third division of Spanish football, he is making all the right noises and is arguably the one to keep the closest eye on in the near future.
2: Toni Fernandez
The fact that Toni Fernandez is second on the list despite being just 16 years old is a testament to the insane talent that he possesses. The left-footed prodigy can play as a right-winger, attacking midfielder, a secondary striker, and even as the sole striker in a slightly withdrawn role.
Not for no reason did Hansi Flick call him up to the pre-season tour and he has also been called up to a few first-team squads since but is yet to make his debut. Toni is a highly creative player, with some of his best attributes being his passing, vision, technique, ball control, creativity, and general football IQ.
Understandably, at 16, there are areas of improvement. Toni isn’t necessarily small built but his physicality is one area he will have to work on. He is also very hesitant to use his weaker foot, which could make him slightly one-dimensional at the highest level.
Apart from this, the 16-year-old is an extremely elegant player with the ball at his feet and his understanding of the game at such a young age stands out, as is the case with Lamine Yamal.
He is also very unpredictable with his dribbling and can go inside and outside, making it tough for the defenders to mark him. Oh, did we also mention that he has an ice-cold penalty technique?
3: Guillermo Fernandez
Much like his cousin Toni, Guillermo Fernandez, also 16 is yet another prodigy coming through La Masia. As talented and with as high a ceiling as Toni, the Fernandez cousins look set to dominate the Barcelona first team, sooner rather than later.
Guille operates predominantly as a central or attacking midfielder. In terms of style of play, he reminds one of Isco or Jude Bellingham. When one watches him play, what stands out is his technique, ball control, creativity, dribbling, and first touch.
If he can sharpen a bit on the ball, avoid lapses of concentration, and start using his weak foot more to create more angles, he has the ability to develop into one of the best-attacking midfielders in world football.
Despite being just 16, physically, he is much more prepared than some of his counterparts. Hansi Flick clearly rates him quite highly and it is only a matter of time before he makes his first-team bow under the German coach. Let’s wait and see how it goes.
4: Pau Prim
Back in August when Marc Bernal got injured, there was a huge clamor for Hansi Flick to fast-track Pau Prim into the first-team setup. Instead, the German coach decided to trust Marc Casado and as they say, the rest is history.
Pau Prim has all the abilities required to become a top-class defensive midfielder. He is exactly what one would expect from a Barcelona-born and bred prodigy. Passing, vision, agility, technique, ball control – you name it, he has it. Oh yes, he also has an incredible footballing brain.
One thing that makes the 18-year-old stand out is his ability to play with both feet. This makes him an incredible operator in the single pivot in Barcelona’s traditional 4-3-3 system as he is able to spray passes with both feet and open angles that a one-footed player might struggle to see.
The obvious concern with regards to Prim is his physicality. Unlike Marc Bernal, who at 17 is already very skillful and has the build to play at the highest level, the 18-year-old needs to work on becoming stronger if he wants to succeed in the first team.
5: Oscar Gistau
There goes the age-old saying – one man’s loss is another man’s opportunity. This could be the perfect way to describe the chances of Oscar Gistau entering the Barcelona first team in the near future. He might have Marc Guiu to thank for it.
Make no mistake, Guiu was expected to be one of the most talented strikers coming through the La Masia. However, the striker, despite being afforded first-team chances by Xavi last season, chose to swap Barcelona for Chelsea and the move hasn’t really worked out for him so far.
Gistau at 16 now has a clear path to the first team. He has already scored 3 goals in the UEFA Youth League and at 1.82m, he is well-built to play as the number nine. He is very smart with his off-the-ball movements and has the finishing to go with it.
He is a good presser, good in the air, and is no mug with the ball at his feet. At 16, he still has some way to go before he is ready to enter the first team but the initial signs are very promising. There is a reason he is very highly rated and let’s wait and see how things play out with respect to the teenager.
Scout References: Home – Football Talent Scout
