Barcelona's title-winners – by the early coaches who helped shape them

New York Times

2 days ago

Barcelona are back on top.
This season, Hansi Flick inspired a thrilling young team to win La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana titles. Most satisfyingly for Barca fans, they all came at the expense of their great rivals Real Madrid. Barca reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2019 and were a chaotic tie against Inter away from potentially lifting a third treble in their history.
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That was all down to a group of players who have made Barca fans believe again after a turbulent few years — many of whom are only just getting started.
We spoke to some of their first coaches to hear about this group of champions' early years in football…
Pedri
Appearances this season: 59
First club: Tegueste (Tenerife)
I joined Tegueste's youth ranks as a coach in 2008, and a year later, I was managing the under-eights. Suddenly, everyone in town started telling me how lucky I was.
'You are going to coach the best kid in Tegueste, the one everyone is talking about,' they said.
When I met Pedri, he was playing as a striker and scoring goals for fun. He would do whatever he wanted on the pitch, so I decided to move him into midfield. I felt he had to be in contact with the ball as much as possible.
The first year I was his coach, we won the Tenerife Under-Eight Cup, and he scored the winner from outside the box. In another game that season, he was being pressed by two opponents near the touchline when he produced a crazy flick with the ball, turned and passed by both of them. I could not have imagined it in my head but he said it just came to him naturally.
We feel so proud to be speaking like this about him now. Years ago, it was not that easy to join a giant in La Liga from the Canary Islands. Now there are scouts everywhere and big clubs are truly invested in spotting talent from a young age.
Pedri is an example for all those kids. He has gone all the way up despite not having played for a big academy.
Ruben Delgado
Raphinha
Appearances this season: 57
First club: Monte Castelo (Porto Alegre, Brazil)
I've lived in this neighbourhood of Porto Alegre, Restinga, for 50 years, so I knew Raphinha's parents long before he was even born. I would see him in the neighbourhood when he was a kid, but I first got to know him properly when he was around nine or 10 and I coached him.
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Physically, he was very, very thin. He liked to play on the wing and was extremely technical. Most of all, he absolutely hated losing. He played with his heart on his sleeve and his temper could be really explosive. Playing football helped control his impetuousness.
He is where he is today because he was willing to fight for it. His parents, Liziane and Mainho, played a big part in his journey and were at every single game. That was so important. Here in our neighbourhood, a lot of kids end up in jail. Others don't make it to adulthood alive.
Raphinha's life wasn't easy. He played for a lot of clubs and considered giving it up on a few occasions. I remember speaking to his dad when he was at Avai (a team based in Florianopolis). He said Raphinha wanted to chuck it in. I couldn't believe it.
I never could have imagined him getting to the level he's at today. He's a credit to this community. Everyone in the neighbourhood follows his progress. Barcelona are now everyone's second-favourite team; before that, it was Leeds United, Rennes, Sporting CP.
Edson Ferreira
Pau Cubarsi
Appearances: 56
First club: FC Vilablareix (Catalonia)
Pau was always laughing. I don't remember seeing him angry more than once or twice. He was outgoing and never shut up when he saw an adult. He liked to joke around.
The first thing that surprised me was that at six years old and being coached for the first time, he already knew how to run with the ball at his feet without looking down. He always kept his head up, looking at where his team-mates were. He already had great vision and control; he never lost the ball or tripped over it like the other kids.
He asked to be a defender from a young age. That surprised me because it wasn't common. When we conceded a goal, which was very rare, he would get a little angry, dribble the ball to midfield and pass it to a team-mate so they could score, if he didn't venture to do it himself. He already had that competitive spirit — it was in his blood.
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He was the driving force behind the team. In his third year with us, Girona came to sign him. When I found out he had gone to La Masia, I felt very proud. And I still do.
David Garcia
Lamine Yamal
Appearances: 55
First club: La Torreta (Barcelona)
'So I'm not playing?'
I can still remember Lamine, aged four or five, asking me this one day when we punished him by benching him for a game. He looked at me with that little boy's face, with his chubby cheeks. I said, 'No, and you know why.' 'Today I'll pass the ball, I promise,' he said.
I put him on and, in no time, he scored three goals and we won the game. We looked at each other and laughed, saying we should punish him every week.
I met Lamine one afternoon when his parents showed up at the pitch at La Torreta. He must have been three or four years old. Some children at that age notice whether their parents are there or not. He didn't care. He wanted the ball, the ball and only the ball. We had to correct him so that he learned to pass to his team-mates. If he could dribble past 10 players, he would.
Now when I see him on television, he reminds me a lot of the boy I knew. His touch with his left foot, the way he positions his leg, his shots, the way he celebrates his goals — he hasn't changed much. In the first interview I gave a year and a half ago, I said he would win a Ballon d'Or within six years. I was wrong; he'll win it sooner.
There was a Lionel Messi era, a Pele era and a Johan Cruyff era. And there will be a Lamine Yamal era.
Inocente Diaz
Alejandro Balde
Appearances: 47
First club: CE Sant Gabriel (Barcelona)
One afternoon, Alejandro came to the pitch with his brother, Edi, and his mother told us they wanted to play. Alejandro started with kids his age but soon moved up to play with boys a year older than him.
He stood out for his speed and goalscoring instinct. At that time, we played him at centre-forward. Then we told him to play wherever he wanted because he stood out everywhere.
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I am very proud of him. I had a very good relationship with him and his mother always asked me to try to get him into Barca, because we had already placed two or three players at La Masia.
The funny thing is that I once called Barca and told them to come and see him because he stood out so much, and they said they didn't have room for him. We told Espanyol and they said they would sign him.
Three or four months later, Barca called to say they wanted him. I wanted to do everything in my power to ensure he ended up playing there.
Gori Peralta
Fermin Lopez
Appearances: 46
First club: EMFB El Campillo (Huelva, Andalusia)
I've known Fermin since he was born. I started coaching him when he was three and I remember him being very shy. He didn't even want to get dressed to play. He was very restless, very fast. I always asked him if he was plugged into the mains because he moved so quickly.
You would throw him the ball and, even though he was only three years old, he would pass it back to you. And he would do it with both legs. Technically, he was very gifted from birth.
When he started competing, Fermin was transformed. Instead of looking seven years old, he looked 14. He was cheeky. He took on opponents, broke away, finished moves.
I took him to a regional tournament for provincial teams. He was six and had to play with eight- and nine-year-olds. When we got there, he was so small that his kit had to be fastened to him with strings because it was so big. It looked like he was going to fly away.
The whole village is very proud of him. He still comes back often, he still has his friends here. And the first thing he does when he comes is visit us. He goes to the pitch, hangs out with the kids, and plays with them.
Javier Sanchez
Frenkie de Jong
Appearances: 46
First club: ASV Arkel (Netherlands)
The first memories that come to my mind of Frenkie are of a very small kid, aged five, running behind a football and wearing a kit that was so big for him you couldn't even see an inch of his skin.
Frenkie joined ASV Arkel, the club in the small village we are from, around 2003. I was a teenager when I was his manager.
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Frenkie was the best in class from day one. His group was at an age where some of them would be picking up flowers on the pitch while the game was going on. Others would be daydreaming or watching a train pass by. But Frenkie was absolutely all football — getting the ball, dribbling past everyone, scoring all the goals.
A couple of years later, he was scouted by Willem II, a professional club from Tilburg, a nearby city. It is not that common to see kids from Arkel joining Willem II at such a young age — fewer than 4,000 people live here — but he was one of the special ones.
Even with that, it was difficult to know the heights he could reach, because a footballing career has so many challenges. Now, it is just insane. He makes us so happy and the village is incredibly proud of him.
Tom de Jonge
Eric Garcia
Appearances: 45
First club: Barca Escola (Barcelona's training school)
Now it is very unusual to see players from the Barca Escola, the club's training school for kids aged from four to six, join Barca's actual youth ranks. Back in the day, it was more common.
I met Eric between 2006 and 2008. What you have seen of Eric this season is exactly how he was at five years old. His position was centre-back, but he would win games by himself. He had intelligence on the pitch, commitment, personality, leadership and was such a fast learner. All the managers who had him agreed he was first-team captain material.
Halfway into the first season, I could see Eric was bored playing with his age group. He started to play with older kids and was still the best — so he joined Barca and never looked back.
Eric's path to Barca's first team was tougher than we predicted but his skill set is perfect for the club's style and I am so proud he has finally found his moment and the platform to contribute as best he can. Football and Barca owed Eric that.
Albert Puig
Gerard Martin
Appearances: 42
First club: EF Performance (Barcelona)
Gerard arrived at Performance, a football school my friend Toto and I created, when he was six or seven. I remember he was in incredible physical shape, had a great left foot, and was a quick learner. He always played with children a year older than him.
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I was always impressed by his work ethic and desire to improve. He was very humble — the kind of guy who always arrived on time. But he came late to professional football as he didn't come through the big youth academies — UE Cornella (a lower-league Catalan team) took a chance on him. He was an introverted child but always had a smile on his face.
He is the only player from our school who has made it to the elite level and for us, he is a role model. Every time we meet when Barca play against Girona, where I am now sporting director, I give him a big hug.
Quique Carcel
Gavi
Appearances: 42
First club: La Liara Balompie (Seville)
Pablo (Gavi's full name is Pablo Martin Paez Gavira) has never been afraid of anything. What he did have was a habit of never tying his boot laces. I used to say to him, 'Chiquillo, te vas a caer!' — kid, you're going to fall over. He still does it at Barcelona.
It wasn't normal to see a six-year-old boy so coordinated, with such good ball control. He was very shy, but when he stepped onto the pitch, he was completely transformed.
At that age, it's very rare for players to score with their heads because they're still afraid of the ball. In a derby against our fierce rivals Los Palacios, he scored a great header. He's not even tall but physically, he was already a force to be reckoned with. He was the only one who dared to head the ball, even though he was smaller and younger than the others.
I'm very fond of him — he's like a son. He's a very affectionate boy. When he comes to the village and sees my children, he still asks about me. That fills me with pride.
Manuel Velasco 'Batalla'
Dani Olmo
Appearances: 39
First club: Terrassa FC (Barcelona)
'What a blond boy,' was the first thing I thought when I saw Dani for the first time. I was coaching eight- to nine-year-olds at Terrassa and they told me there was a kid who had been moved up a year.
He was bursting with energy. At that age, he was already producing moves where he took out two players in crowded areas of the defence. He also provided a lot of assists and could shoot with his right or left foot.
He was very playful. We worked with his parents to channel all his energy into something positive so that he would understand the discipline of a team. At a very young age, he was signed by a big club, Espanyol.
There was little I could teach him in ball control and technique. He understood the game, with and without the ball. That's innate.
Fidelio Santiago Gracia
Marc Casado
Appearances: 36
First club: Granollers (Catalonia)
Casado joined Granollers in the summer of 2012 when he was eight after his dad brought him to open trial sessions we were holding.
Every pass, every control, right foot, left foot — technically, he was excellent. He was not the tallest and did not have the spark or tenacity you see now because he was still shy but I saw a lot of raw talent.
It took Marc a couple of weeks of training with the whole team to show how much of a gem he was. I would not say he was the standout player. At that age, physical attributes make a huge difference and he has never been the tallest or strongest. But he became the soul of that dressing room with his contagious character.
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He played primarily as an attacking midfielder, but I used him as a full-back, centre-back, holding midfielder or even as a striker — because he understood everything.
Marc, you can be very proud of the footballer and person you have become.
Sergi Exposito
Pau Victor
Appearances: 29
First club: Junior Sant Cugat (Barcelona)
I first met Pau at a summer camp at Junior Sant Cugat. 'This boy is going to score a lot of goals,' they told me before I took him on. And they were right. From the following season onwards, he began to stand out.
He was a very willing boy, eager to learn but, in a positive way, he would break away from what you told him to do. He was also very consistent and he has got to where he is today because he has always maintained that consistency.
Now, whenever I see him play for the first team, it makes me excited. I'm happy to have been part of his career for a while.
Javi Martinez
Ronald Araujo
Appearances: 25
First club: Huracan de Rivera (Uruguay)
I was Ronald's first manager at Huracan de Rivera when he arrived aged five or six. Even now, his progress is difficult to believe.
He played above his age group every year. Ronald was a very technically gifted player, and we used him as a midfielder, even as a No 10. He had a really powerful shot and made his first-team debut aged 13, scoring an equaliser from a free kick and taking the corner kick from which we scored the winner.
When he was 11, he was chosen at school to perform a traditional dance called 'el pericon'. It was on the weekend, at the same time as the match he had with Huracan, which he didn't want to miss.
I waited in my car at the school until the performance ended. He ran over with his mum and she was helping him in the back seat to swap his clothes from the traditional dance with his football kit and boots.
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We arrived at the pitch when the game was about to start. He played the whole match with a fake moustache and a beard painted on his face from the pericon dance!
It is still emotional for us to see him caring for Huracan every time he comes back, having all the time in the world to sign autographs for young kids in the area. Seeing him now as Barcelona's captain makes all our family so, so happy.
Danilo Poschi
Hector Fort
Appearances: 20
First club: PB Anguera (Barcelona)
When Fort went to try out for Barca, his family explained to him that it was a reward for his good season, that it was an opportunity to enjoy himself and train with other Barca players — and that was it. But after just one test, the club said they wanted him.
I met him the year before he signed for Barca, when he was six years old. He was a good listener and always wanted to know the reason behind things. He understood more than the rest — he was gifted physically and intellectually.
He had the ability to play in many positions. He already had leadership skills and a know-how with his team-mates that was unusual for his age. I also trained Gerard Martin, and seeing that Barca is betting on this type of player makes me excited. He has received the reward I thought he deserved in playing for the first team.
Xavi Closas
Ansu Fati
Appearances: 11
First club: Escuela de Futbol de Herrera (Seville)
According to his father, Bori, the first football Ansu had in Guinea-Bissau was made by Ansu himself out of socks twisted together.
Talent was in his blood but he wasn't the kind of player who wanted to score goals at all costs. He liked to take the ball from the back and pass it to someone else to score. It wasn't because he didn't like scoring goals, it was because he was very kind-hearted.
He was a very cheerful boy. He arrived in Herrera and immediately became friends with everyone.
When he made his debut with Barcelona, I sent him a message: 'All hard work pays off sooner or later.' He's a very humble guy. In the final of the last Copa del Rey, which was played in Seville, he surprised me and invited me to watch the match. I'm very proud of him.
Jordi Figueroa
Marc Bernal
Appearances: Three
First club: CE Berga (Barcelona)
Even at four years old, Marc had an urgent need to play football. He lived it with passion, there were no distractions.
I couldn't be certain if he would play for Barca's first team, but I was sure he would end up becoming a professional. He was technically disciplined and physically imposing. When people at the club talked about Sergio Busquets' replacement, I told them that in a few years, they would have one in-house, because Bernal was in their youth team.
He has more complete characteristics than Busquets. His defensive side is similar, but in attack, he has more qualities. He is capable of making final passes, he has a good shot and has a good head on his shoulders.
In the first tournament we played, I looked at his parents and told them that with this boy, they were going to travel a lot more. I don't think I was wrong.
'Sito' Fernandez
(Additional contributor: Jack Lang)
(Illustration: Kelsea Petersen/ The Athletic; Unless specified, all photos courtesy of the coaches)