
There’s no greater talent factory in world soccer than Barcelona’s famous academy, La Masia.
La Masia is widely regarded as the best academy the sport has ever seen. The foundation of the greatest Barcelona teams of all time have always been constructed with players that graduated from the academy.
Players that surge from La Masia are known to be elite technicians, intelligent players that understand how to read the game and play a possession-based system that translates seamlessly to the trademarked playing style of Barça’s senior team.
To this day, La Masia holds the honor of being the only academy ever to have three graduates share a Ballon d’Or podium. In 2010, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernández and Lionel Messi—the three greatest La Masia graduates of all time—shared the podium for the award, with the latter taking home the prize.
Since the start of the 2020s, Barcelona have been immersed in deep economic trouble. The only way the club has managed to return to prominence and enter the 2025–26 season as one of the consensus best teams in the world is thanks to La Masia talents that have become pillars of the current Barça squad. In recent preseason games, we’ve also seen glimpses of new academy players with tremendous potential.
Here, Sports Illustrated ranks the top six La Masia talents to graduate into Barcelona’s first-team since the start of the decade.
6. Marc Casadó

- Barcelona Debut: Nov. 2022
The breakout star of Hansi Flick’s debut season in Barcelona was unquestionably Marc Casadó.
This time last summer, there were plenty of calls for midfield reinforcements, but Flick arrived and opted instead to trust the former Barça Atlètic captain.
The now 21-year-old midfielder slotted next to Pedri in the base of midfield once Marc Bernal joined Gavi and Frenkie de Jong in the infirmary room. Casadó got his first extended look as a starter and he thrived.
The young Spaniard is a prototypical La Masia midfielder. His first touch rarely lets him down, resulting in him thriving on the ball, even in tight spaces. He’s so comfortable on the ball that he often baits opponents to press him so he can pick out passes behind incoming markers. Casadó is a brilliant possession-starter who always looks to thread progressive passes, earning him comparisons with fellow La Masia graduate Sergio Busquets.
Off the ball, Casadó is tirelessly pressing and constantly recovering balls from midfield. His positioning is very strong, allowing him to always anchor the team and cover areas that free other attacking players. His performances were so impressive he earned a first call-up to Spain’s national team.
Despite a wealth of options in the middle of the park, it became abundantly clear Casadó has the potential to be a mainstay with the Catalans for years to come.
5. Fermín López

- Barcelona Debut: Aug. 2023
Fermín López mixes all the qualities of a classic La Masia midfielder with the traits of a modern era No.10. A refined technician that also understands when and where to make runs to receive the ball in advantageous positions.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder became a regular for Barcelona during Xavi Hernández’s final season with the club in 2023–24. His potential was evident since he broke into the first team, a dynamic attacker whose versatility allows him to play different positions and fit into various systems.
His debut season was so good that Luis de la Fuente included him in the Spain squad that won the 2024 Euros. Fermín didn’t play a single minute, but a month later he had six goals, as many assists and earned player of the tournament honors as Spain won the 2024 Olympic gold medal.
A number of top Premier League clubs were said to be interested in Fermín this summer. However, the talented Spaniard will remain with Barcelona looking to further explode under Flick.
If Fermín is given an extended chance to start for Barcelona in 2025–26, he could blossom into one of the game’s elite playmakers.
4. Alejandro Balde

- Barcelona Debut: Sept. 2021
Filling the shoes of fellow La Masia graduate and long-time Barcelona left back Jordi Alba seemed like a tall ask. However, the Catalans couldn’t have asked for a better natural replacement than what they found in Alejandro Balde.
Instantly after Balde made his debut, you could tell he had all the tools to become an elite modern-day fullback. His speed and ability to cover ground down the left flank is eerily similar to his predecessor. With Balde on the pitch, Barcelona have essentially two left wingers in the lineup, while the Spaniard is also maturing into a very solid defender on the opposite end.
Balde’s rise was meteoric, earning a FIFA World Cup debut at only 19 years old, when then-Spain manager Luis Enrique selected him as an emergency replacement ahead of the 2022 tournament—he went on to feature in all four of La Roja’s matches.
Injuries have halted Balde’s progress in recent years. Still, during 2024–25, he was back to his best, becoming a perfect compliment to Raphinha in Flick’s XI. Balde’s ability to offer depth and width in attack allowed the Brazilian to constantly drift centrally without Barcelona losing an attacking alternative down the left wing, contributing to Raphinha’s career year.
At just 21 years old, the Catalonia native is already one of the best left backs in the world and he might not be even close to reaching his full potential.
3. Pau Cubarsí

- Barcelona Debut: Jan. 2024
You have to go back almost two decades to the emergence of Gerard Piqué to find a La Masia center back with as much quality and potential as Pau Cubarsí.
Cubarsí came out of nowhere in the second half of the 2023–24 season and quickly became a regular in Barcelona’s lineups, both with Xavi and Flick. In only 18 months, the teenager went from unknown to one of soccer’s top center backs.
The word impressive falls way too short to describe the way Cubarsí plays at only 18 years of age. He’s a sticky marker in defense, a winner in the air and very strong in 1v1 duels. He has a knack for reading passes and intercepting balls to win possession high up the pitch, but also has good makeup speed to track back when defending in space.
On the ball, his La Masia training shows. He’s never flustered in possession and is always looking to begin attacks from the back. It’s not an exaggeration to say he’s already one of the best long-range passers in the sport, constantly jumping the line to find teammates running in behind opponents.
Cubarsí’s future is blindingly bright, but his present is already world-class caliber. A regular starter for Spain’s national team already, he’s poised to command La Roja and Barça’s back lines for the next decade.
2. Gavi

- Barcelona Debut: Aug. 2021
The first season of the post Messi era was disheartening for Barcelona. Yet, the shining light from the 2021–22 season was the discovery of yet another dazzling young La Masia midfielder, Gavi.
Gavi took the world by storm at just 17 years old when he introduced himself to the Barcelona spotlight. A fearless player, willing to put his body on the line to defend the badge and Blaugrana colors. Since his eruption to the first team, his high energy and gritty style have made him a favorite for every manager he’s had.
But lost in all his effort and intensity is the key reason why Barcelona fans fell in love with him and why he’s so high on this list: his undeniably stellar talent. At his best, Gavi is capable of dictating games from midfield. His first touch is on par with the greatest players in the world and he rarely misplaces a pass. Gavi is a true box-to-box midfielder that thrives on both ends of the field
Less than two years after graduating from La Masia, Gavi started all four of Spain’s games in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first 2004-born player to score in soccer’s most prestigious competition. That same year, he was recognized as the best young player in the world in the Ballon d’Or ceremony with the 2022 Kopa Trophy.
A horrific ACL injury suffered in Nov. 2023 sidelined Gavi for almost a year. He came back last season and showed glimpses of his pre-injury form.
Gavi remains a tremendous player and has emerged as a leader in Barcelona. Next season could very well see him back to his best, reminding the world why he was considered one of the top midfielders in the sport prior to his injury.
1. Lamine Yamal

- Barcelona Debut: Apr. 2023
The greatest La Masia talent since Messi and one of the greatest talents the sport has seen emerge over the past decade.
What can be said that hasn’t been said already about the global sensation that is Lamine Yamal? Simply put, no player in history has ever been as good as he was before turning 18.
The Rocafonda, Catalonia native is already one of the best players in the world, a serious contender to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or award. During 2024–25, Yamal enchanted the world week after week with one jaw-dropping action after another.
The silky smooth dribbler possesses a natural ability on par with the best players in the history of the sport. He has every pass, shot and dribble available in his locker and his left foot is frankly otherworldly. From the moment he made his debut, Yamal has broken records for fun and the trophies are also slowly starting to pile up.
He’s the youngest Barcelona and Spain national team debutant ever and he’s become a nightmare for opponents that have been tasked with containing him ever since.
Yamal has played his way into deservedly belonging in the conversation for being the best player in the world at just 18 years old. His talent isn’t simply generational, he’s got the potential to be one of the all-time greats.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona's Six Best La Masia Talents of the 2020s—Ranked.