A certain amount of disillusionment with the Barcelona youth system is understandable. The golden generation are all grown up and first teamers, while few youngsters have cut the mustard since.
B team graduates of the past few years who showed promise, such as Cristian Tello, Isaac Cuenca, Jonathan Dos Santos and Bojan Krkic, have all been offloaded this season. But given their chance against Elche in the Copa del Rey, many Barca starlets showed that there is still life in La Masia with a rousing 4-0 win.
Despite their youth, the likes of Munir El Haddadi, Sandro Ramirez, Sergi Roberto and Rafinha Alcantara are well known by the Barcelona faithful, and have already shown the can do the business on the big stage. But some of the lesser known faces were given the opportunity to impress and did not disappoint.
The ease with which many of these starlets slipped into the Barcelona will be comforting for Luis Enrique. Having coached Barcelona's B side in his ascent up the ladder, he seems the perfect man to blood these Barcelona stars of the future.
Avid watchers of the B side will know all about Adama Traore. Blessed with blistering pace and quick feet, Traore has all the makings of an explosive winger who can cause full-backs serious problems. The Spain U-19 international made his Barca debut as early as 2013, but has developed greatly since, finding the back of the net in the 8-0 drubbing of Huesca late last year.
Gerard Gumbau may not be a familiar name to La Blaugrana supporters, having only joined in the summer from Girona’s B side. Yet he sat comfortably at the heart of Barca’s midfield against Elche in his first appearance for the club. Expect to see more of the 20-year-old in the future.
Another player to make his debut emerging from the bench was 18-year-old Alen Halilovic. Playing at the highest level is not an alien concept to the young Croat, having made his Champions League debut at the tender age of 16. In a whirlwind year for the teenager, he also earned his first cap for Craotia’s senior national team.
Yet another on the ever-increasing list of young talents dubbed the ‘next Messi’, yet given his play style and natural talent, the comparisons are hardly unfounded. Left-footed, quick-minded and dazzling footwork, Halilovic displays the same raw talent as the Argentine he idolises.
Among the multitude of multi-million euro megastars at the club, it is easy to forget the home-grown talents which make Barcelona unique. Yet given their successful past, there is a tendency to over-hype young Barca players, which makes things more tragic when things do not work out for them.
In truth, some of the players on show on Thursday night may never become first team regulars, as is the case with young players, especially at a large club such as Barcelona, where competition is always tough.
It is unlikely the incarnate of Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez or Gerard Pique step out of La Masia anytime soon, which is a testament to those players and the quality of the academy in shaping their careers. However there are some hidden gems – not so hidden anymore – who look ready to step into the spotlight and shine.
