The Barcelona youngsters who could impress Xavi in pre-season

Some of the greatest footballers of all time have come through the Barcelona academy.

Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Pep Guardiola, current manager Xavi Hernandez, the list goes on and on and on.

And now, while the club are in dire straits financially, Barca look set to lean on La Masia to produce talent more than ever. 10 youngsters have been called up to pre-season training by Xavi in a bid to fill out a rather threadbare squad heading into the 2023/24 La Liga campaign.

Here’s five of the young players that we’re tipping to impress the Barca boss the most this summer.

If you’ve played a bit of Football Manager 2023 this year then you probably know who Hector Fort is, and you’ll know how good he is predicted to be in the near future.

Despite being just 16 years old, the full-back has already got a taste of senior football action in a Barca shirt – coming on as a substitute in the club’s recent friendly against Vissel Kobe. Expect him to get a few more appearances under his belt during pre-season thanks to his already impressive stature and ability to read the game in the defensive third.

Sergio Busquets successor?

Given Barca’s rather woeful financial situation, he may have to be, and that may be a blessing in disguise for the club.

Marc Casado made his debut for Barca in the UEFA Champions League group stage last season and has drifted between the senior and B teams ever since. With Busquets now out of the picture, the 19-year-old may finally become a regular for Xavi.

Plucked from Croatian second division obscurity, Mikayil Faye put pen to paper on a four-year deal at Barcelona earlier this summer and has already caught the eye of fans…while walking past them on the way to pre-season training.

Faye is also set to catch the eye with his performance on the pitch in the near future too as he is a near-perfect Barca centre-back. The 18-year-old is a commanding presence – hence his ‘The Monster’ nickname – and is outrageously composed when in possession. Expect Faye to quickly become part of Xavi’s defensive rotation during the 2023/24 season.

No, not Angel Alarcon the women’s shoe company, Angel Alarcon the footballer who plays for Barcelona.

The striker has played quite a bit for Barcelona too having already made four La Liga appearances for Xavi’s side. Alarcon has been tied down to a contract with a €400m release clause in it for a reason.

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The youngest player to ever represent Barcelona in La Liga history thanks to his cameo appearance against Real Betis while he was 15 years old.

That’s right: 15 years old.

Judging by Xavi’s comments after his debut, the sky really is the limit for Yamal: You can see that he is a special player and that he can become very big. He is a differential player, with the final pass, he is not afraid of anything, he has an innate talent. He can mark the future of the club.”