Top five La Masia youngsters waiting for their chance right now

These starlets are already in the radar of top European clubs.

La Masia de Can Planes, often shortened to La Masia, is the term most commonly used to call FC Barcelona's youth academy. The Spanish phrase literally translates to "The Farmhouse" in English - and as we all know, the academy has indeed served like a farmhouse for the Catalan outfit, having produced several world-class players that went on to play significant roles in the club's domestic and European triumphs over the years.

Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Pedro, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Busquets, Xavi, Carles Puyol, Jordi Alba, Sergi Roberto, Victor Valdes... you can name an entire world-class XI with players who are La Masia graduates. In fact, that is exactly what Tito Vilanova did in 2012, when he fielded a FC Barcelona team made just out of graduates of the academy, in a La Liga clash against Levante.

However, Barcelona currently follows a system where players get opportunities based on the results rather than their abilities. Despite so, it is still not too late for the Blaugranas to return to Johan Cruyff's performance-based selection policy and give importance to La Masia graduates once again. That being said, here are the top five rising stars coming out of the club's world-famous academy.

5. Jaume Jardi

Jaume Jardi is a left-footed forward that can play anywhere in the attack, though in recent times at Barcelona's U-19 team, he has been plying his trade as a right-winger to exploit his ability to cut inside and unleash powerful shots - something which has been described as the 18-year-old's trademark characteristics.

Born in 2002, Jardi began his footballing career as a youth player at CF Reus Deportiu. He joined La Masia in 2016 and with each year, he gained promotion to their U-16, U-18 and U-19 sides respectively. In the ongoing season, he made six appearances so far and also scored a goal against SK Slavia Prague in the UEFA Youth League.

While he was considered a child prodigy back in his days at Reus, Jardi does not have the same popularity as a few other names in the La Masia academy. However, he has all the features required to succeed as a winger at Barcelona - intelligence, positioning, individual quality, technique and vision - and it would not be shocking at all if he followed a similar path to the first team to that of Carles Perez, who made his debut with the side earlier this season.

4. Nico Gonzalez

A versatile midfielder, one of Nico Gonzalez's biggest advantages has been his ability to dictate play irrespective of the role he plays in the midfield. With Barcelona's U-19 side in the ongoing 2019-20 season, Nico has played both as a defensive midfielder and a central midfielder, registering an assist in six appearances so far.

As a defensive midfielder, the 18-year-old La Masia player controls the tempo of the game expertly. He also resembles Frenkie de Jong in terms of agility and being mobile, which allows him to dribble past opponents and help the team progress forward in attack. As a central midfielder, his passing and ability to participate in attacks have been regarded as his best attributes.

The son of Deportivo La Coruna legend and former La Liga champion Fran, Nico Gonzalez has been actively scouted by clubs including Manchester United. His father currently works under Pep Guardiola for Manchester City - a move to the Etihad is hence quite likely as well for the teenager.

3. Konrad de la Fuente

Born to a Haitian-American family in Miami, Florida on July 16, 2001, Konrad de la Fuente soon moved to Barcelona with his family. After a short stint at a football school called Tecnofutbol and then with CF Damm’s academy as an U-12 player, Barcelona signed him for their U-16 team in 2016. He currently plays for Barcelona's B side in the Segunda Division, after rising through the ranks as a La Masia player.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6VF8kZYhMc

Konrad is a pure winger, the representative of a dying breed in modern-day football. He is a gifted attacker with a good pace, and loves to take on defenders in one-on-ones. The 19-year-old has also shown a steady likeness to hug the touchline, before cutting inside with his strong foot and beating his marker to generate goalscoring opportunities. In the 2018-19 season, he was used as a right-winger while Ansu Fati played along the left flank - however, in the 2019-20 season, he was once again used as an inverted winger. In the ongoing campaign, he has so far made a total of eight appearances and netted four goals.

He recently extended his contract with the club until 2022, and it will not be surprising if he breaks into the first team sooner or later.

2. Xavier Mbuyamba

Dutch starlet Xavier Mbuyamba is the next name on this list. A centre-back by trade, the 18-year-old joined La Masia in 2018 and in a very short period of time, he proved his quality and attracted interest from the likes of Juventus, Inter, Real Madrid as well as other top clubs in England and Germany as per reports. In fact, Chelsea were very close to sign him last summer, but the move did not materialize for some reason.

Already standing at 6'4", Mbuyamba's aerial ability has been highlighted as particularly strong. He also possesses a good natural technique and assurance in possession, something which is unusual for tall players like him. He also has the ability to fill in at the right-back position when needed, making him a versatile player.

The youngster has made three appearances for Barca's U-19 team so far this season - all of them coming in the UEFA Youth League. He is also one of the few players in the squad who played the full 90 minutes in each of these matches. Earlier, in November 2019, he also made his debut for the Netherlands U-19 team, in an international friendly against Mexico.

1. Ilaix Moriba

Ilaix Moriba is a dominant all-round midfielder, usually playing down the center of the pitch although he has also played as a defensive midfielder in a few matches. So far, he has shown that his athleticism, stamina, and a wide set of skills are some of his strong suits. For his imposing physical presence, he has also often been described as the anathema to the prototype midfielder that has emerged from La Masia in the past, like Xavi or Iniesta.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJWvjh9Rm7I

Oscar Hernandez, a former La Masia manager who was in charge of La Masia between 2007 and 2017, once said, "Ilaix has something that differentiates him a lot from the other academy players who play in the No.6 position. Traditionally, they have great positional sense and great touch. They are good for circulating the ball, for keeping possession."

"He has a quality that other No.6s at Barça don’t have, though – he’s box-to-box. He’s very good in front of goal. He can pick up the ball and burst forward with it. He can create play. He’s good in the air. He’s very multifaceted. Apart from the fact that defensively he’s very aggressive. He’s a complete player," Hernandez added.

When Riqui Puig - another La Masia product - was promoted to the first team earlier this year, it was Moriba who got called up to Barcelona B as his replacement despite being just 17 years of age. This shows how much the club trusts him, and according to many, he is the most important youngster coming out of the club's academy at the moment.