[long_read]
Barcelona’s world-famous La Masia is one of the most successful footballing academies on the planet.
After all, it’s the same academy that once housed and groomed the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and many more who ended up becoming some of the greatest players this sport has ever seen.
But as much as the Blaugrana love to look back at those golden years, they are exactly that – in the past. And nowadays, La Masia doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it used to get back in the day.
Superstars like the aforementioned Barcelona legends are very much the exception and not the rule. A golden generation is golden by virtue of its infrequency.
But that doesn’t mean there are no talents in La Masia anymore. Quite the contrary in fact. The Barcelona B side alone is stacked full of potential and quality.
With that in mind, let’s assess each of these players and see how likely they are to make it in the future. From the goalkeepers to the forwards, here’s the full list of Barcelona B players according to their talent.
Let’s check it out…
[snack_break title=”Unlikely to make it”]
Ferran Sarsanedas – Barcelona B is full of talented midfielders and Sarsanedas is unlikely to get ahead of practically any of them. Unfortunately, He won’t light up the stage any time soon.
Sergi Puig – Probably the worst of the three goalkeepers. Too shaky, unreliable and quite average.
Dani Morer – Behind Jaime in the pecking order and while good enough for the Segunda Division B, still far away from stardom.
Mike van Beijnen – The son of Frenkie de Jong’s agent who was probably just bought to make the transfer go through more smoothly. Not likely to get much game time at all.
[snack_break title=”A lot of work needed”]
Lazar Carevic – With the likes of Inaki Pena in front of him, Carevic doesn’t really look likely to make it. Serious work would be required for him to even be considered for a potential step-up.
Chumi – Currently looking likely to be the third-choice centre-back in the team. Although not bad, Chumi would first have to warrant his position at Barcelona B before even thinking about anything more.
Guillem Jaime – Looking like the first-choice right-back but still a big downgrade on Moussa Wague, who’s now with the first-team. Jaime has some quality, but at the moment, it doesn’t seem like enough.
Oscar Mingueza – Similarly to Chumi’s position and even slightly worse. Mingueza doesn’t look like a future star.
Kike Saverio – A left-winger who is likely to be left behind due to the arrival of Hiroki Abe who looks more far promising.
Sergio Akieme – A newcomer to Barcelona B, it is difficult to judge whether he has what it takes since he has only played one game for his new team. But so far he hasn’t really impressed enough to warrant a higher placing.
[snack_break title=”In with a chance”]
Ronald Araujo – Alongside Jorge Cuenca, he is Barcelona B’s best centre-back but still needs to put a lot of work in to progress into the first-team. Currently, he looks to be second in the pecking-order so there’s still plenty to do.
Ludovit Reis – Can be hot and cold but he looks really talented and once he fully adapts to Barcelona B and Segunda Division B, he should be impressing more regularly.
Monchu – Showing promising signs but the competition around the middle of the pitch is quite tough and he might get left behind despite his talent and visible qualities.
Hiroki Abe – One of the the club’s newest signings, Abe arrives with huge potential and a big reputation. The 20-year-old looks like he could be one for the future, but we’ll still have to see more of him in order to say that with absolute certainty.
Alejandro Marques – Currently looks set to be behind Ruiz up front, but Marques is a target-man that can still bring a lot to the table by keeping opposition defenders busy at all times and producing goals. There is a chance for him to succeed, but at the moment, it’s still quite slim.
[snack_break title=”On the first-team path”]
Jorge Cuenca – Definitely the best centre-back Barcelona B have to offer. As it currently stands, Cuenca is a player who looks likely to eventually make that step-up as he’s already tasted the action of the senior team once.
Alex Collado – Has been shifted across midfield and the front line, but Collado is definitely a talent worth keeping an eye on. Currently, he’s among the top performers in the team and has a big role to play. If his development continues, he could even make that big step-up in the not-so-distant future.
Carles Perez – Already looks set to become a first-teamer sooner rather than later. Perez has not only played a couple of games with the seniors but has also scored once and assisted two goals as well.
Abel Ruiz – An incredible talent that is waiting to explode. Although he’s definitely on the right path, his mentality will likely determine how far he can go. Even with that being said, there’s a general feeling that Ruiz will definitely end up in the top tier, one way or the other.
Jandro Orellana – Has all the qualities to become an incredible defensive-midfielder and definitely one of the best talents in that area since Oriol Busquets. Has a real shot to make it.
Inaki Pena – Pena is Barcelona B’s best goalkeeper and has already had spells with the seniors in which he has looked impressive. The young goalie is incredibly talented and good with both his hands and his feet, which is a must for any Barcelona team regardless of the level.
[snack_break title=”Potential superstars”]
Riqui Puig – Definitely the greatest talent currently playing for Barcelona B. Puig is very much the future and many are wondering why he is still with the B team when he’s clearly good enough for the seniors. Only the sky is the limit for Puig.
Honourable mention: Anssumane Fati – Fati is technically not a Barcelona B player since he’s still just 16 years old, but he’s the crown jewel of La Masia and already a record-breaker at Barcelona.
The world hasn’t heard the last of Fati and this is very much just the beginning of something extraordinary.
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