Barca is currently pursuing Champions League glory with the youngest knockout stage squad in history. In the round of 16, they made headlines by crushing Newcastle 7-2 at home – the biggest victory by a Spanish club against an English opponent in 60 years. While veteran Robert Lewandowski consistently scores at 37, the main highlight of the current Barca team is its youth: the squad has an average age of just 25 years and 18 days, with five La Masia players featuring.

By utilizing Yamal, Cubarsi, Marc Bernal, and Xavi Espart — an 18-year-old midfielder compared to Philipp Lahm — Barca surpassed Ajax in the number of teenage players used in the Champions League knockout stage. Along with other names who have established themselves in the first team, such as Pedri, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, and Eric Garcia, Espart is one of 14 La Masia players who have featured for Barca's first team this season.

According to data analytics firm CIES Football Observatory, the transfer value of players developed at La Masia currently stands at 850 million USD, nearly three times higher than any other club in the world.

Xavi Garcia Pimienta led Barcelona U19 to win the UEFA Youth League in 2018. *Sky Sports*.

Coach Garcia Pimienta and the La Masia philosophy. Coach Xavi Garcia Pimienta, 51, who once led Sevilla and spent 17 years working at the Barca academy, is proud to see young players develop. He led Barca U18 to defeat Chelsea in the UEFA Youth League final in 2018, and was once considered a candidate to coach the first team, replacing Ernesto Valverde or Ronald Koeman.

"It is an honor to see the current Barca team have many self-trained players in the first team. I was once a part of that process, both as a player and a coach," he said. "These players are proving their quality, with a clear playing style, infused with the philosophy from Johan Cruyff, where not only winning is important, but also how to win."

Pep Guardiola as a player under Johan Cruyff at Barca in the early 1990s. *Rex Features*.

Cruyff's human development philosophy. According to Pimienta, Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff completely transformed Barca from 1988: "There was a Barca before and after Cruyff. He created a unified training method at every level." Thanks to this method, young players, upon joining the first team, were already accustomed to a possession-based, short-passing style of play.

Players like Yamal, Cubarsi, and Bernal have played together since they were 10 years old, developing through each level before reaching the first team. "Imagine the process of growing up together, season after season. The biggest dream is to play for the first team, and they have achieved it," Pimienta said.

Intellect over physicality. Barca does not recruit players based solely on physique, but emphasizes thinking skills and game reading ability. "When signing Andres Iniesta or Pedri, we were not looking for 'physical monsters'. What matters is talent and football intelligence," Pimienta explained.

He cited Fermin Lopez — once a small, often overlooked boy — who became a key player for Barca thanks to his excellent football intelligence. This midfielder was a member of the Euro 2024 championship squad and a key factor in Spain winning the Olympic Paris 2024 gold medal.

The philosophy emphasizing thinking skills and game reading ability once created great Barca teams under Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique, with stars like Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, and Cesc Fabregas.

Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, and Xavi (from left to right) — three players who developed at La Masia — on the day the Argentine star lifted the 2010 Ballon d'Or at Camp Nou. *FC Barcelona*.

Looking to the future. Currently, under Hansi Flick, the Catalan club is building a young, identity-rich squad aiming to replicate previous successes. Pimienta emphasizes the "sense of belonging" — players not only compete for a big club but also for the team they have been with since childhood.

Although modern football increasingly emphasizes physicality, Pimienta believes the La Masia philosophy can be widely applied if given enough time and patience. The combination of youth, skill, and tactical thinking is helping Barca continue to write a success story, starting right from the La Masia academy.

By Hong Duy (Source: Sky Sports)