Can't let 2012 close out without this being mentioned. In this era of football I think it is one hell of an achievement and speaks volumes about the future of Spanish football.
From November.
Quote:
Barcelona's fabled La Masia academy scored another triumph on Sunday when the Liga giants fielded an entirely homegrown team during their 4-0 Liga victory against Levante. History was made in the 14th minute when coach Tito Vilanova sent on Martin Montoya to replace the injured Dani Alves - completing a team full of La Masia products for the first time in the modern era.
Not even Vilanova's predecessor Pep Guardiola managed the feat, fielding a maximum of nine homegrown players at any time.
Brazilian substitute Adriano Correia broke the monopoly in the 75th minute, by which time Barca were four goals to the good.
Although every player was an academy product, that's not to say all were born within a stepover or two of the Camp Nou.
Lionel Messi hails, of course, from Argentina but moved to Barcelona aged 12. Pedro Rodriguez is from Tenerife, while Andres Iniesta's childhood home of Fuentealbilla is closer to Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium than to Barcelona.
|
http://eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/pit...093237514.html
The mail follows how they all rose through the ranks and compares with English teams.
Quote:
Lionel Messi
Undoubtedly the biggest star to emerge from La Masia, Messi had his first trial with the Catalans at the age of 11. He had already made waves in his native Argentina but had been diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency and interested sides such as River Plate were unable to pay for the treatment, which cost nearly £600 a month.
This didn’t deter Barcelona, whose sporting director Carles Rexach offered Messi a contract scribbled on a paper napkin. Messi and his father Jorge moved to Barcelona and he’s been making history ever since.
|
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...e-compare.html