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da pinnacle： Earlier this month, Riqui Puig celebrated his 20th birthday. But it was actually much more than just that. With his 20s now in full throttle, it would be about the time he steps into the grind of the senior team and leaves the youthful Barcelona B behind him. In many ways, entering the second decade could symbolically represent him entering the more serious phase of his career.
It would be about time and it would also mean he becomes only the third La Masia graduate to do so after Carles Alena and the now legendary Sergi Roberto after a long, long time. I say legendary for many reasons. Of course, by now everyone knows it was he who slotted the sixth and final goal into the net of Paris Saint-Germain on that faithful night at the Camp Nou and the night the famous “Remontada” was born.
But Roberto also symbolises the last graduate from the famous academy who truly made it. Officially and undeniably, he waited, he was patient, he sacrificed a lot, his play style and preferred position including, to get where he is right now. For so long, he was the role model the kids looked up to and though: “Maybe one day, that could be me.” Maybe so. Of course, there’s also Rafinha but despite always being here, he never truly got his chance with only 87 games to his name and is now looking likely to be sold by the club.
Regardless of that, there’s no escaping the gloomy feeling that’s been surrounding the academy. The recent losses of Takefusa Kubo to Real Madrid and Xavi Simons to Paris Saint-Germain can attest to that. Two of the most talented and famous La Masia students snatched away by a better sporting project or better financial support. Whatever the true reason was is, for the most part, irrelevant. All that matters is that they are not here now. Just like countless before them. Jordi Mboula, Dani Olmo or Alejandro Grimaldo, just to name a few of the really painful losses in the modern era.
Long gone are the times of the golden Barcelona generation; squads comprised of many La Masia graduates that toyed with grown men on the biggest stages of them all. Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and of course, Lionel Messi, all three springing from that same academy, “the farmhouse”, as the loose and maybe even somewhat degrading English translation goes, and more importantly, all three on the podium for the best players on the planet. But that was back in 2010. Nine years ago. But it really seems like an eternity, doesn’t it?
Fast forward to 2019 and the only La Masia players in the squad are the veterans, for the most part, at least. Alena and Roberto are holding on valiantly but are also somehow passing under the radar. Roberto because he’s been played out of position for long enough to turn into a villain for some the fans at times and Alena because, for all his brilliance and talent, he is not as flashy as people might want him to be.
But Puig definitely is. And if the early signs are anything to go by, he is the one to turn people into believers once again. Nowadays, it’s easy to say La Masia doesn’t produce superstars as regularly as they once did and, for the most part, that is very much true. But one other thing to note in this case is that the golden generation of Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Pique and Messi was exactly that – a golden generation and definitely an exception to the rule and not the rule itself.
And the world, of course, took it as the absolute minimum in terms of what they expect on a yearly basis. Apart from being totally unfair, it is also totally unrealistic. The aforementioned players are some of the world’s best and expecting such players to spring out every couple of years is insane, to say the least.
But back to Puig. The now 20-year-old midfielder has been dancing on the edges of the senior team for a couple of years already and while he is still not officially a first-teamer, that may change in the coming year. The sheer quality he possesses was on display in every game he played in pre-season and the youngster was very much running the show despite playing beside vastly more experienced players.
Throwing him into the fire of La Liga might seem harsh at first but it’s very much also that trial with fire that he needs. And if the early signs are anything to go by, he seems to be ready for it. The only concern is the crowded midfield at Barcelona which could limit his minutes going forward. Is it better to get regular football at a lower level or limited at the highest? That question seems to plague most of the top clubs that have emerging stars in their rosters.
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Puig, however, very much shows the signs that La Masia is still alive and kicking and the production line, albeit slower than before, is still churning out talents bound to take the stage by storm. The 20-year-old is that prototype, benchmark, Barcelona DNA midfielder that we keep hearing about from the media.
It may seem like a truly forgotten prospect, however, but his emergence, together with the likes of Alena and Ansu Fati, who are also waiting on the sidelines, will prove the myth of the downfall of La Masia false.
But it all starts with Puig’s promotion. And the best part yet?
That’s just a triviality and a matter of time. And when it finally happens, the future might be Blaugrana once again.
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