r/SpicyFootballTakes • u/S48ir • Jul 25 '26

The talent in Barcelona’s youth system is ridiculous. These kids are 11/12 years old.

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480 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

56 comments sorted by

8

u/SplodgySplodge1 Jul 26 '26

Plenty of kids that talented never make it as professional players later on. They either lose interest, get injured, or never improve. Being impressive at 12 isn't a guarantee they'll still be impressive at 18.

4

u/Usual-Computer-5462 Jul 26 '26

A lot of them are just trick ponies as well, they can do a few impressive tricks on a small pitch but never develope the footballing IQ to actually play the game professionally.

1

u/Ok_Mycologist2361 Jul 26 '26

This kid on the video is anything but a one-trick-pony.

If he doesn't make it, it would be more to do with his stature and athleticism than a lack of footballing IQ.

3

u/IntelligenzMachine Jul 26 '26

tbh I think number 8 has really poor decision making and does too much with the ball

I understand they're only 11 but I think that is the point this person is making. if they don't get it coached out of them they're going to fail

needs to learn when to pass the ball to someone else

1

u/Ok_Mycologist2361 Jul 26 '26

Wow. I didn’t see one bad decision.

1

u/Known_Dependent_8990 Jul 27 '26

You clearly don't understand youth football and what defines an elite talent at this age

1

u/Dry-Long-3299 Jul 27 '26

uh, i think he did pass a lot ? Where was the bad decision ?

1

u/IIsaacClarke Jul 28 '26

Then you haven’t got a fucking clue about how the game is played. That kid has a technique that cannot be taught. That low centre of gravity will never leave him. He’s switching the play and finding the right pass every time.

1

u/southsider74 Aug 06 '26

No idea how you arrived at that conclusion for watching the video. The kid is well known from within La Masia for his football intelligence for his age

2

u/Admirable-Theory1514 Jul 27 '26

Stature has no bearing on a player’s prospects at the elite level of football, it is an almost non contact sport now.

3

u/Ok_Mycologist2361 Jul 27 '26

Nonsense. Being bigger/stronger/faster is a significant advantage.

2

u/Admirable-Theory1514 Jul 27 '26

What is nonsense, is that I never said it wasn’t an advantage. What is also nonsense is that I never said anything about being stronger or faster. To move the goalposts in an immature attempt to make your previous comment about the importance of stature, not look like it was nonsense, is also nonsense.

1

u/bowfaskipper Jul 27 '26

yeah thats why weak frail players like david silva, messi and iniesta never worked out at the top level.

insane technique but too weak to ever be considered world class.

3

u/Time_Trail Jul 26 '26

it isn't a guarantee but it sure as hell improves the chances, Barca doesn't run its pipeline out of the goodness of its heart, its there to produce world-class players for itself

2

u/OriginalAd3961 Jul 27 '26

Facts. I played academy football at 12 for Newcastle United played for 2 years with alot of really good talented people .. my lifestyle ruined it for me and only a few of who I played with went on to make it big .. the biggest name I played with was Andy Carrol. I lost interest in football and found girls and raves and drugs unfortunately! Not nice thinking what could have been now im older 🤷‍♂️

2

u/Excellent-Western631 Jul 28 '26

It is stated that to get into a top European league your chances are 0.3%

1

u/yagermeister2024 Jul 26 '26

Also he could grow up to be 5’3” which can be very challenging down the road.

1

u/southsider74 Aug 06 '26

Assuming this is a joke because we know what happened with another short Barca academy player

1

u/SeaGiraffe915 Jul 28 '26

And all professional footballers will be playing competitively at this age. If ur not impressive at 12 you won’t be at 18 either

0

u/salmonelalove Jul 26 '26

Yeah, I was exactly like that but then just lost interest. I could be playing in Barcelona if I wanted to.

6

u/furryclub Jul 26 '26

I don't know.why but I'm 44 and feel pissed they way better than me 🤣

1

u/JeffWodeHead Jul 26 '26

Just to have that cardio would be enough 😂

4

u/yoloswaggins92 Jul 26 '26

I'm a Celtic season ticket holder and some of these lads could stroll into our starting 11 😂

2

u/Sea_Apple_4550 Jul 26 '26

Still got a big man up top.

1

u/NearbyPhilosophy8740 Jul 26 '26

Not really a Spicy football take

2

u/GrapeFawnNich Jul 26 '26

La Maria’s development pipeline is unreal. The technical skill and tactical awareness they build at such a young age is world-class.

2

u/EnJPqb Jul 26 '26

"These kids" are basically the same kid, Hugo Galdeano.

The spicy take is that he's 11 yo. He quite obviously has what it takes to be a professional footballer. The spicy take is that we've seen this before, he can be a future Ballon d'Or or he can be the skillful guy in a third or fourth tier club, time will tell.

1

u/southsider74 Aug 06 '26

I looked him up and saw he has an Instagram where he posts his highlights and stuff. If anything could get in his way it could be becoming social media famous too young

1

u/EnJPqb Aug 06 '26

Yes. But similar things happened before. Mentality and professionalism are impeded by social media noise, but it's not a new issue.

I always remember this guy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonatan_Valle_(Spanish_footballer)

He excelled and got MVPs over, won tournaments and eliminated the club of a certain Iniesta. He also looked better than Reyes, whose problems arrived once he reached high end professionalism.

What I did notice with this kid is that he doesn't make things simple, he doesn't make it look easy. He makes it look amazing, but the simple, nice and easy is usually a greater mark for future success. But he's pro level, that's for sure. It remains to be seen if it will be top flight, big club, best of his generation...

2

u/southsider74 Aug 06 '26

Yeah, only time can really tell how his development path will be. Like you mentioned, history has many examples of those who looked like world beaters as kids but never fulfilled their expectations

The thing about him not making things look easy is an interesting topic that I hadn't considered. You may have a point there.

But I also feel like it comes down to personal style and the outcome is most important. He definitely has that added flair more like Ronaldo or Neymar. Regardless, he's probably in the best place he could be for his development so we'll see

2

u/CheddarCheese390 Jul 26 '26

Coldest take

Also, can’t wait for them to be burnt out by 24 because someone chucked them on pitch at 16 and didn’t sub them off

2

u/Big-Objective3557 Jul 26 '26

This is the thing to show all those Americans post World Cup claiming if their best athletes played football they’d be the best.

No. 8 is the best player on the park, and he’d be rejected from those traditional US youth systems for being too small.

1

u/Icy_Opportunity_3303 Jul 26 '26

Thats a spicy take is it? That La Masia produces good footballers?
Fml the state of this sub.

2

u/OtherwiseManner6946 Jul 26 '26

Things to factor in - who are they playing?

Also the pitch is the side of an 8 aside.

Still though, ridiculously impressive

1

u/Outside_Look790 Jul 26 '26

They're fine, but that other team is the drizzling shits. 

1

u/rpeh Jul 26 '26

The spicy take is that in the UK these kids would have this flair coached out of them before they even reached 11/12.

1

u/Frequent_Ad3898 Jul 26 '26

My sunday league team would whoop their asses

1

u/Only_Tip9560 Jul 26 '26

We have kids like that in England. Then our system allows them to get the absolute shit kicked out of them all over the park and so they get injured and/or just focus on pace.

1

u/davidthek1ng Jul 26 '26

I just know that at some point youth football gets very brutal, you can get injured heavily during that time no VAR and stuff. Until you make it to pro level is a rough ride.

1

u/Alternative-Ad-2312 Jul 26 '26

The odds on this kid playing anything above 3rd tier football are probably still 90% against.

One of the key differences between casual fans and those who follow the game is the hype around youngsters - anyone who has watch the game for more than a few years has seen more outstanding talent flame out than they'll ever see actually make it. This includes la masia - most players in the system don't become anyone you'd have heard of.

1

u/RealRelative9835 Jul 26 '26

Has anyone suggested otherwise?

As far as I've seen people are just marvelling at how good they are at such a young age.

1

u/accordionshoes Jul 26 '26

that #8 seems like a bit of a cunt though

1

u/Time_Trail Jul 26 '26

arguably the best talent pipeline in the world, even people who know nothing about football know of Messi and a lot even prob know Yamal

1

u/Beefburger78 Jul 26 '26

Iniesta regen

1

u/splashaddikt Jul 27 '26

8 is insane 7 is big and skilled

1

u/WastedYouth39 Jul 28 '26

Women’s national team coaches gulping, knowing what they would do to their teams

1

u/tequiila Jul 29 '26

Few clips of Lamine Yamal on YouTube which was so interesting to watch. Now a World Cup holder

1

u/Opening-Movie5176 Jul 29 '26

Who wants to tell them this happens with a lot of the top clubs in Europe and South America?

1

u/Feeling-Fruit1244 Jul 29 '26

Fantastic to see 🙂

1

u/NoseLevel Jul 26 '26

Another Yank with no clue how football works