Albert Puig is the man who brought the likes of Ansu Fati, Riqui Puig and Ilaix Moriba to Barcelona, as well as former talents like Thiago Alcantara, Dani Olmo and Takefusa Kubo.
Puig was a coach in the Barcelona youth system before making the leap to becoming the director of La Masia, where he was the man bringing talent into the club. He left his post after four years of intense work before spending time in MLS and Japan.
In an exclusive interview with Diario Sport, Puig touched on many of Barcelona’s current prospects and reserved high praise for Ansu Fati, the wonderkid who was making real waves in blaugrana before his injury pre-Christmas.
“I hope to the top,” Puig responded when asked how high he thought Fati, still just 18, could go. “We are talking about a player who has everything to become one of the best in the world.
“He already is, but obviously he has to train and evolve much more. Nobody has the magic wand to say he will do it, but he has all the potential to be a reference for years to come.”
Fati scored four goals and provided one assist in five La Liga appearances for Barcelona so far this season, as well as starring for La Roja, before he picked up his injury.
The teenager’s expected to be back in March, and will be hoping the Blaugrana will still be fighting in La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey upon his return.