Andres Iniesta was asked by Catalan paper Sport about the idea that Barcelona’s academy, where he trained from boyhood to become one of the best midfielders of a generation, could one day bear his name.
“It doesn’t sound bad,” he admitted, before politely listing all manner of reasons why it couldn’t possibly happen, in a wide-ranging interview that saw him speak affectionately about his time in the academy.
Ivan Rakitic had been the one suggesting that the historic academy that produced a special golden generation of players should bear the name of one of its most illustrious graduates, but it’s not yet a serious suggestion.
There are plenty of other former Blaugrana who could also claim to deserve the foundation stone of the club being named after them. Perhaps as a sign of the team values it promotes, it should remain without a single person’s attachment to it.
Then there’s the fact that in La Masia it already is one of the few academies in football with a globally recognised and unique name.
