hey there! i was wondering if anyone had information on la masia, barca's academy. any info would be much appreciated. G
La masia is the house were lives the young players of the barcelona team, is not an academy. the players are choosen by technical staff of barça. the have to choose you to get in there. If you want more information ask me for.
flatico, if you could give me as much information as possible on la masia, i would appreciate it alot. are you spanish or catalan? Guillermo
The masia is an old farmhouse ("masia" in Catalan" that happens to have not been torn down in the city of Barcelona. Right now it is just a stone's throw away from the stadium, and has its own practice field that is about 3/4 size that Barça often trains on. In it there are about 30 kids, mostly from about 12 up from outside of Barcelona and even from outside Spain, who live there and eat there but go to school elsewhere. Many young players choose it over other options in Spain as it is a family atmosphere and there is a lot of social support. Right now, as the youth from out of BCN have outnumbered its capacity, they have build apartments for mid-teens literally inside CAmp Nou (yes, in the stadium!). The club is building a new sports centre some 5 km away in Sant Joan Despí that is almost done and is where they want to put a new residence, but it is recently tied up in legal battles about how the land was zoned. Classic Masia players include Guillermo Amor (from Valencia), Guardiola (from too far away in central Catalunya), and current players like Iniesta, who came from Albacete maybe when he was 13.
Have you seen this new crack called Lionel Messi? this kid is going to be in a future an Argentinan Top Player
Here are a couple pictures of La Masia. The second of which was taken by our own ChrisC on a recent trip. Beautiful photo by the way.
The figurative sculpture in the front is of the "Avi del Barça", the fictitious fan who is a grandfatherly type. A kind of mascot. Catalan, Barcelona and club flags. The practice field is just 30 yards to the right, and the stadium right behind, maybe 100 yards away.