The majority of European teams (and not only) give great importance to their academies. The academies are always “generating” small “stars” players who at the future prove their value.
A typical example is Masia, the renowned academy of Barcelona which has given the world football some of the greatest players. With the excellent work done in Masia, is sure that will continue to produce … football “gold.”
Recent research showed that Barcelona spends about 20 million euros a year in search of the “new Messi” or “Xavi the younger” or “successor of Andrés Iniesta.”
This academy is regarded as one of the biggest “weapons” of Barcelona and it is no coincidence that the Catalans pay particular attention to it, being the club that has the largest budget in Europe for academies.
Specifically, last year’s team Barcelona gave about 10 million euros for the operation of Masia and another 10 for the under-19 team and FC Barcelona B.
FC Barcelona's youth academy "La Masía"
FC Barcelona’s youth academy “La Masía”
At the services of Masia are 36 coaches who try to pass the philosophy and principles of Barcelona to 220 footballers. Earrings, strange haircuts, tattoos and dyed hair are prohibited, while the regulation states that the shirts should be constantly through the shorts. For the search of new talents, they have 25 scouters.
The fact that 7 of the 11 players who were in the starting 11 for Barcelona winning the Champions League final of 2011 against Manchester United came from Masia, demonstrates the exemplary work done.
High on the list of clubs that also spend a significant part of their budget in their academies, are Ajax, Inter Milan and Lens, while Arsenal has one of the most powerful academies.
The ‘Gunners’ famed for its youthful group that invested in recent years under the guidance of Arsene Wenger. The London club gives about 3 million per year to maintain it’s academy, who has “offered” players like Ashley Young.
The academies of Arsenal in London can accommodate approximately 180 children and prioritize “the talent, intelligence and motivation.” It is worth noting that, unlike Barcelona, Arsenal has just two scouters in the English capital and a few around the world…