Barcelona’s terrifyingly brilliant XI for the future made exclusively of U21 wonderkids
Barcelona are renowned for developing young players and the number of rising ballers at their disposal right now is off the charts.
Xavi certainly hasn’t shied away from giving youngsters a chance during his tenure at the club. In fact, the 44-year-old has handed La Liga debuts to 11 different teenagers in the last three years alone.
Using players that are aged 21 and under, we have compiled a ridiculously talented Barcelona XI for the future which is worth getting excited about.
GK: Ander Astralaga
Marc-Andre ter Stegen doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere anytime soon, but Barcelona are lucky enough to have a number of highly talented goalkeepers rising through their ranks.
After making a name for himself with Barcelona B, Astralaga was promoted to the senior squad to play the backup role to Ter Stegen.
Along with Astralaga, Barcelona also have Diego Kochen and Aron Yaakobishvili on their books who are equally exciting prospects in the making.
RB: Hector Fort
After a number of injuries to Barcelona’s senior full-backs, Fort was handed his first chance in the senior squad earlier this season.
The 17-year-old predominately plays as a right-back, although he’s also versatile enough to do a job on the opposite flank too.
“I will keep working as I am in the hope of further opportunities,” Fort told the club media. “I feel very proud, very excited and very happy because I have been working towards this for many years, to get where I am today.
“La Masia teaches you the Barça values, and now I am eternally grateful to Xavi for all the chances he has given me. Me and the other young players are more than ready for this and we are doing our best to demonstrate that.”
CB: Pau Cubarsi
Having already been capped twice by Spain, Cubarsi has a huge career ahead of him. The 17-year-old’s defensive instincts are top notch and by all accounts, he’s also got a stellar mentality.
“He is playing like a captain, it’s amazing,” Xavi said after Cubarsi’s excellent display against Mallorca. “The personality that he showed for the team, I think it was spectacular today.”
CB: Mikayil Faye
The teenage defender is yet to make his senior debut for Barcelona, but he’s been garnering quite the reputation for Barcelona B in recent months.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are among the clubs who have been keeping tabs on the Senegalese centre-half of late.
“There have been reports linking Mikayil Faye with Arsenal, but I’m not aware of negotiations or talks with Arsenal at this stage,” Romano told Caught Offside.
“Several clubs are monitoring him, he’s a potential big talent but first of all it’s Barcelona who have to decide what they want to do with Faye; keep him with first team, sell for big money.”
LB: Alejandro Balde
Replacing Jordi Alba seemed like a daunting task at first. That was until Balde came onto the scene a couple of years ago.
The dynamic full-back spent the last couple of years learning from Alba and following the 35-year-old moving to Inter Miami, Balde has taken his chance to step up in Alba’s absence.
He’s currently nursing a tendon rupture injury which has kept him out since January, but we’re certain that he’ll return stronger than ever.
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CM: Gavi
Given he’s already a mainstay in the Spain XI, it’s easy to forget that Gavi is still only 19 years old. The tenacious midfielder has energy which is infectious and has all of the tools to make it at the top level.
Boasting a staggering market value of €90million, he’s also the most valuable teenager in world football right now.
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CM: Fermin Lopez
“Fermin has the perfect level and mentality to be a Barcelona player for many years, I’ve said it several times and today he’s shown it on a big stage,” Xavi told reporters after Lopez impressed against Real Madrid last year.
After spending last season on loan with Linares, the attacking midfielder returned to Barcelona in pre-season looking stronger than ever.
Across all competitions, the 20-year-old has bagged six goals this season and he’s only just getting started. The future for Lopez looks very bright indeed.
CM: Pedri
Pedri is yet to celebrate his 22nd birthday and he’s already racked up over 130 senior appearances for Barcelona. Having already drawn comparisons to Andres Iniesta, there’s no debating the youngster’s natural talent.
He has a killer eye for a pass and his ability to wriggle out of tight situations also makes him a wonderfully unique technician in Barcelona’s midfield.
If he continues to develop at his current rate, there’s every chance that Pedri will retire as an all-time great at Camp Nou.
RW: Lamine Yamal
The term ‘generational’ gets thrown around willy-nilly these days, but Yamal certainly looks like he fits the criteria.
At just 16 years of age, Yamal is already twisting up defenders that our twice his age. With 13 goal contributions already this season, we can’t wait to see how the next few years unfold for the La Masia product.
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ST: Marc Guiu
Guiu isn’t your typical Barcelona player, but he certainly knows how to stick the ball in the back of the net. Built like a traditional target man, the 18-year-old’s presence can immediately be felt in the forward line.
Having scored two goals from just 107 minutes of first-team action in La Liga and the Champions League, Guiu’s goalscoring instincts should take him far.
LW: Vitor Roque
Barcelona splashed a mouthwatering fee to sign Roque from Athletico Paranaense and the early signs have been hugely promising.
The Brazilian forward has already bagged two league goals from just 214 minutes of action. Once he’s got a full pre-season under his belt for next season, we can’t wait to see what the 19-year-old has in store.
