La Masia - Football's Best School

FC Barcelona is not a club alien to having some of the finest players in the world on its books. A mere glance at some of their previous sides and you will quickly see just how many of the world's greats have played there - Cruyff, Maradona, Ronaldo, Stoichkov. For many Catalans however, more pride is placed in there domestic talent than in the numerous foreign stars they have held over the years. It is a region of Spain where many yearn for independence from the rest of the mainland and key to their sense of regional pride is their football team, and in particular the graduates from their youth academy known as La Masia (The Farmhouse).

In recent years English football has been riding the crest of a wave, domestically at least. This year's Champions League final between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich was the first time in six years that an English team had not contested the final of Europe's most famous club competitition. It is Barcelona who have been the scourge of both Arsenal and Manchester United, have dispatched them both by simply passing the ball around them in the past two years. Arsenal, billed as England's own answer to the Barcelona way of football (despite possessing very few English players) were humbled 4-1 at the Camp Nou earlier this year while a Manchester United team possessing both Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney were powerless to prevent the Catalans' march to European glory in the final in Rome in May 2009.

Barcelona's starting eleven in that match at the Stadio Olimpico featured seven players who had graduated through La Masia. Among them were Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández – all of whom have been nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year award.

So, what is the secret to their success?

The answers may well be found at an eighteenth century stone farmhouse situated beside the Camp Nou.

Built in 1702, the farmhouse saw its first use by FC Barcelona in 1979 when it became the residence of the club's youth recruits. Players come to La Masia at a very early age. Club legend and current manager Pep Guardiola, for example, joined the club as a thirteen year old boy. He made a 70km journey from the village where he had spent all of his early life and took a huge step to becoming the player he went on to be.

It is estimated that around 450 others have taken a similar journey to Guardiola. Their origin may have been different but their destination remained the same. Over 40 of these players have gone on to represent Barcelona at the highest level while another 40 have represented other La Liga clubs. Others, such as Arsenal's Cesc Fàbregas and Liverpool's Pepe Reina, have found considerable success abroad.

Carles Folguera has been director of La Masia since 2002 and he believes that it is not only responsible for the developing of the players as footballers, but also has educated individuals. He has gone on record as saying, "At no time are there any loose ends in the effort to make sure they can develop as normal kids."

Unlike the majority of youth academies in England, La Masia is a full time programme. It is "twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week". While this may sound intense, especially as a significant number of players join the system before their tenth birthday, Pep Guardiola has fond memories of his time at La Masia. "I remember from the first day when my parents dropped me off that they gave me very good food," he said. "The Masia is a vital part of the club - searching out talent, welcoming in those that cannot live in Barcelona and educating and training them is one of the most valuable things we can do. It's the cheapest investment over the long term and something the club should continue and develop."

Guardiola's comment regarding cost is an interesting one to note. La Masia costs only €6 million per year to run. Sure, for every success there will be another four or five failures, but when the standard of those successes is so high it will always be a better financial option than signing talent in to the club. This can be proven when one takes a look at the two starting elevens that contested last season's second 'El Clásico'. Real Madrid's starting side cost a staggering £208 million while Barcelona's cost only £63.7 million in comparison. Indeed, the Catalans would go on to triumph in that match which was one that would go a long way to deciding who eventually came out on top come the end of the season.

Life as a young footballer is a stark contrast to life at any major academy in England. Emphasis is placed on nurturing not only footballing talent but also lifestyles an attitude. As Guardiola said, the importance of healthy eating is underlined as is the virtue of an early night. The players eat meals together in a communal fashion while they share bunk-bed dormitories with one another. Once their homework is completed and their work is done for the day the players are free to relax, often by playing PlayStation with one another. The players are kept away from distractions and perils, things that often engulf a younger player in English football.

The players are transported around the city where they can enjoy schooling at some of the city's finest educational institutions. After a morning's work, they return at 2pm for lunch and a siesta. This is followed by around two hours of intense football training each evening, before homework is completed and relaxation enjoyed.

The boys are taught to adopt three main principles in their play. They are urged to be more sporting than the opposition, giving away fewer fouls and being less aggressive in their play. They are also instructed to play in an attacking, expressive fashion with the emphasis on a reworked brand of 'Total Football', a style made popular by club legend Johan Cruyff. Their final and perhaps most obvious principle is to win on the scoreboard although Alberto Capellas, the club's senior youth coordinator, maintains that they do not wish to complete the third aim without fulfilling the first two.

Leaving family life at such an early age is not problem free however. Two of La Masia's most famous graduates, Cesc Fàbregas and Andrés Iniesta, both struggled to adapt upon their move to the club. To counter these problems the player's families visit frequently and the boys are encouraged to form strong bonds with their contemporaries. Lionel Messi and Fàbregas met each other at La Masia and have remained close friends since.

The current poster boy of Barcelona, Lionel Messi, perhaps wouldn't have made it anywhere else. His move to the club as a 13 year old boy was the result of the unwillingness shown by domestic sides in Argentina to pay for the growth support drugs he needed. Whereas size and strength are often highly prioritised by scouts at other clubs, Barcelona prefer to do things in a different way, highlighting the importance of ball control and distribution at an early age. There is also an outlook that the bulk of the team should be comprised by youth graduates. Anything less than 50% and eyebrows may well be raised.

Whatever it is, La Masia must be doing something right. The Barcelona team at present are arguably the world's best and contain arguably the world's three best footballers, all of whom are youth graduates. This success has not gone unnoticed and many other clubs, ranging from Liverpool, Manchester United and even Wigan Athletic, have sent representatives to La Masia to try and unearth their own unique formula for success.