Barcelona is known for its excellent youth academy, La Masia, which has produced some of the world’s greatest footballers.
Many talented youngsters have come through the ranks at the Camp Nou, but not all of them have fulfilled their potential.
In this article, Sporting Tribune takes a look at such La Masia graduates who showed promise early on but failed to live up to their footballing potential.
Bojan Krkic
Bojan started his career at Barcelona, where he progressed through the youth system at La Masia. He made his debut for the first team at the age of 17 years and 19 days, which broke Lionel Messi’s record.
In his first season, he scored 12 goals in 48 matches. He played at Barcelona for four seasons, scoring 41 goals in 162 games before being sold to Roma in July 2011 for €12 million.
At Roma, he scored seven goals in 37 appearances in the 2011-12 season, and then spent the 2012-13 season on loan at Milan, where he scored three goals in 27 games.
Barcelona bought Bojan back for €13 million when Roma chose not to exercise their option to buy him for €28 million. He spent the 2013-14 season on loan at Ajax, where he helped them win the Eredivisie title. In July 2014, he joined Stoke City for €1.8 million. He then went on to have subsequent loans to play for FC Mainz 05 in 2017 and Alavés in 2018, both in Europe. Later, he played for Montreal Impact in North America for a season and Vissel Kobe in Japan for two seasons before being released by his club in January 2023.
Bojan announced his retirement from professional football in March 2023 at the age of 32.
Bojan has played for the Spanish youth international teams and won the European Championships with the Under-17 team in 2007 and the Under-21 team in 2011. He earned his only cap for the senior team in 2008. Bojan has also played for the Catalan national team eight times since 2007.
Jeffren Suarez
Jeffren Suarez is a former Venezuelan winger who joined Barcelona’s youth academy in 2004. He made his first team debut in 2009, at the age of 21, in a Copa del Rey match against Cultural Leonesa. He scored his first goal for Barcelona in a Champions League match against FC Rubin Kazan later that year.
In the following season, Jeffren made 15 appearances for the first team, scoring two goals and providing two assists. However, he struggled with injuries and was unable to establish himself as a regular starter. He was also competing for a spot in the team with several other talented attackers, such as Pedro, Alexis Sanchez, and David Villa.
In 2011, Jeffren left Barcelona to join the Portuguese club Sporting CP, for a reported fee of €3.75 million. However, he struggled with injuries and a lack of playing time in Portugal, making only 12 league appearances in his first season. He was loaned out to several other clubs, including Real Valladolid in Spain and KAS Eupen in Belgium, but was unable to rediscover the form he showed in his early years with Barcelona.
Jeffren signed for Grasshopper Club Zürich of the Swiss Super League on a two-year deal on 9 July 2017. He left in late January 2019 for AEK Larnaca FC in the Cypriot First Division and, one year later, switched to the Croatian First Football League with NK Slaven Belupo.
After a brief spell with Al Dhaid SC in the United Arab Emirates, Jeffrén signed with Lamphun Warriors F.C. of the Thai League 2 in June 2021
Cristian Tello
Cristian Tello is a former Spanish winger who joined Barcelona’s youth academy in 2010. He made his first team debut in 2011, at the age of 20, in a Copa del Rey match against CE L’Hospitalet. He scored his first goal for Barcelona in a league match against Real Sociedad later that season.
In the following season, Tello made 34 appearances for the first team, scoring eight goals and providing eight assists. He was particularly effective in the Copa del Rey, scoring five goals in the competition, including a hat-trick against UD Almeria. However, he struggled to establish himself as a regular starter in the team and was often used as a substitute.
In 2014, Tello left Barcelona to join Portuguese club FC Porto on a two-year loan deal. He made 38 appearances for the club in his first season, scoring six goals and providing nine assists. He also helped Porto win the Portuguese Cup that season. However, he struggled with injuries and lack of playing time in his second season, making only 12 league appearances.
After returning to Barcelona in 2016, Tello was loaned out to several other clubs, including Fiorentina in Italy and Real Betis in Spain. He impressed during his loan spell at Betis, making 56 appearances for the club in two seasons and scoring 12 goals. In 2018, Betis signed Tello permanently for a reported fee of €4 million.
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Since joining Betis, Tello has been a regular starter for the club, making over 100 appearances in all competitions and scoring 22 goals. He has also been a member of the Spanish national team, making one appearance in 2013.
Tello signed a three-year deal with Los Angeles FC on 26 August 2022 with his $1.78 million salary being one of the highest in Major League Soccer. He moved on in January 2023 to join Saudi Arabian club Al Fateh SC on an 18-month contract
Isaac Cuenca
Isaac Cuenca is a former Spanish winger who joined Barcelona’s youth academy in 2003. He made his first team debut in 2011, at the age of 20, in a league match against Granada. He scored his first goal for Barcelona in a league match against Racing Santander later that season.
In the following season, Cuenca made 16 appearances for the first team, scoring two goals and providing five assists. He impressed with his dribbling skills, crossing ability and was seen as one of the most promising young talents in the Barcelona squad. However, he struggled with injuries and was unable to establish himself as a regular starter in the team.
In 2013, Cuenca left Barcelona to join Dutch club Ajax on a season-long loan deal. He made 23 appearances for the club, scoring two goals and providing four assists. He helped Ajax win the Eredivisie title that season but was not signed permanently by the club.
On 7 August 2015, Cuenca signed a three-year deal with Turkish Süper Lig side Bursaspor. He scored his first competitive goal on 28 October, the game’s only in a victory over Sivasspor at the Bursa Atatürk Stadium.
On 1 February 2016, Cuenca returned to his country and signed with Granada until the end of the season. In June 2017, after the Andalusians’ relegation, he joined Israeli Premier League champions Hapoel Be’er Sheva F.C. on a two-year contract. He won the league in his only year in the Middle East, though he was not a regular part of manager Barak Bakhar’s plans.
Cuenca returned to his first senior club Reus ahead of the 2018–19 campaign. After playing the whole preseason on trial, he could not be registered; Reus claimed that the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional rejected his registration due to his low salary, while the organisation claimed that the club had breached the wage limits.
In January 2019, Cuenca went back abroad and signed a three-year contract with the option of a fourth at Sagan Tosu in Japan’s J1 League. He joined compatriots Fernando Torres and Lluís Carreras, his teammate, and manager respectively.
For the following year, Cuenca joined Vegalta Sendai in the same competition. In February 2020, he suffered a right knee meniscus injury that ruled him out for six months. He rescinded his contract in April 2021 to return home for treatment.
Marc Muniesa
Marc Muniesa is a former Spanish center-back who joined Barcelona’s youth academy in 2002. He made his first team debut in 2009, at the age of 17, in a Copa del Rey match against Cultural Leonesa. He was seen as one of the most promising young defenders in the Barcelona squad and was likened to former Barcelona defender Carles Puyol.
In the following season, Muniesa made four appearances for the first team, including one in the UEFA Champions League. However, he suffered a serious knee injury in a league match against Getafe in 2012, which kept him out of action for several months. He was unable to regain his place in the Barcelona squad after his injury and was often used as a backup player.
In 2013, Muniesa left Barcelona to join English club Stoke City on a free transfer. He made 30 appearances for the club in his first season, scoring two goals and providing two assists. He was praised for his composure on the ball and his ability to read the game, and was seen as one of the most promising young defenders in the Premier League.
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However, Muniesa struggled with injuries and lack of playing time in the following seasons and was unable to establish himself as a regular starter in the Stoke City squad. He was loaned out to Spanish club Girona but was unable to rediscover his form during his loan spells.
In 2018, Muniesa returned to Spain to join the Spanish second-division club Girona on a permanent deal, making over 80 appearances in all competitions and scoring four goals.
31-year-old Muniesa currently plies his trade at Qatari side Al Arabi who he signed for in 2019. He has also been a member of the Catalan national team, making one appearance in 2019.
Munir El-Haddadi
Munir El-Haddadi is a former Spanish forward who joined Barcelona’s youth academy in 2011. He made his first team debut in 2014, at the age of 18, in a league match against Elche. He scored his first goal for Barcelona in a league match against Athletic Bilbao later that season.
In the following season, Munir made 26 appearances for the first team, scoring 8 goals and providing 1 assist. He impressed with his pace, dribbling skills, and finishing ability, and was seen as one of the most promising young forwards in the Barcelona squad.
However, Munir struggled to establish himself as a regular starter in the team in the following seasons, and was often used as a backup player. He was loaned out to several clubs, including Valencia, Alaves, and Sevilla, to gain more playing time and experience.
In 2019, Munir left Barcelona to join Sevilla on a permanent deal. He has been a regular starter for the club in the following seasons, making over 70 appearances in all competitions and scoring 15 goals. He has also been a member of the Moroccan national team, making his debut in 2016.
Munir currently plays for Getafe in the Spanish LaLiga
Sergi Samper
Sergi Samper is a former Spanish defensive midfielder who joined Barcelona’s youth academy in 2001. He made his first team debut in 2014, at the age of 19, in a Copa del Rey match against Huesca. He was highly rated for his technical ability and tactical awareness and was seen as a potential successor to Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets.
In the following season, Samper made 6 appearances for the first team, including one in the UEFA Champions League. However, he suffered a serious ankle injury in a Copa del Rey match against Villanovense in 2015, which kept him out of action for several months. He was unable to regain his place in the Barcelona squad after his injury, and was often used as a backup player.
In 2016, Samper was loaned out to Granada in the Spanish top flight to gain more playing time and experience. He made 21 appearances for the club but was unable to prevent them from being relegated to the second division.
Samper was loaned out again in the following season, this time to Las Palmas. He made 17 appearances for the club, impressing with his passing ability and vision, but was unable to help them avoid relegation to the second division.
In 2019, Samper left Barcelona for Japanese club Vissel Kobe, where he played alongside former Barcelona teammates Andres Iniesta and David Villa. Samper continues to ply his trade in Japan where he has made 88 appearances for Vissel Kobe.
Sandro Ramirez
Sandro Ramirez is a former Spanish forward who joined Barcelona’s youth academy in 2009. He made his first team debut in 2014, at the age of 19, in a Copa del Rey match against Elche. He scored his first goal for Barcelona in a league match against Levante later that season.
In the following season, Sandro made 32 appearances for the first team, scoring 7 goals and providing 2 assists. He impressed with his pace, movement, and finishing ability, and was seen as a potential successor to Barcelona legend Lionel Messi.
However, Sandro struggled to establish himself as a regular starter in the team in the following seasons, and was often used as a backup player. He was loaned out to several clubs, including Malaga and Valladolid, to gain more playing time and experience.
In 2017, Sandro left Malaga to join Everton on a permanent deal. He made 15 appearances for the club, scoring 1 goal, but struggled to adapt to the English Premier League and was loaned out to Spanish club Sevilla in the following season. He joined Huesca in 2020 after loans to Sociedad and Valladolid.
Unfortunately, Ramirez has been on the move with more loan deals to Getafe and Las Palmas where he currently plying his trade.
Sandro has also played for several other clubs in his career, including Real Sociedad, Villarreal, and Huesca. He has been a member of the Spanish national team, making his debut in 2017.
