Bartomeu explains La Masia crisis

CAIRO - 31 July 2017: The Barcelona Football Academy, known as La Masia, has lost its role in recent years, as few products of the academy made it to the first team.

“The problem is Xavi and Iniesta and Messi and those players. It is very difficult to be a player when you have in front of you Messi, or you have Neymar, or Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets or Pique. It is very difficult to be there,” Barcelona President Jose Maria Bartomeu said to reporters in the U.S., according to Marca.com.

Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona’s former captain, earlier criticized the players’ decision to leave Barcelona. He asked the club not to sign back any player who left the club.

Bartomeu added, “Who is going to be the new Messi? Well, probably other players will be Messi, but they have to leave our club because it is impossible.”

The majority of La Masia trainees left the club to play in other clubs after they lost hope of having an opportunity inside the club.