Trust in La Masia – Hansi Flick following in the footsteps of Guardiola, Luis Enrique at Barcelona | OneFootball

La Masia has always been an integral part of Barcelona, and the several players who have made their way up the ranks over the years are testament to the same.

Hansi Flick, despite not having a direct link with the club before his arrival, has adapted perfectly and understood the importance of the academy in the team’s plans.

Last season, he did not hold back in handing out debuts, and the same trend has continued this season, with young Jofre Torrents even making his debut for the club last weekend.

Among the greats

As relayed in a recent report by MARCA, Flick is on his way to joining some of the greatest coaches in Barcelona’s history in terms of giving young talents chances in the first team.

Last season, in his first term in charge at the club, the German coach gave six players their debut for the senior side – Marc Bernal, Gerard Martin, Andres Cuenca, Sergi Dominguez, Dani Rodriguez and Toni Fernandez.

Jofre Torrents made his official debut vs Mallorca. (Picture courtesy: FC Barcelona Official Website)

With Torrents now the latest in the group, his tally moves to seven players and is slowly but surely catching up with former greats at the club.

For comparison, Xavi Hernandez gave 15 young players their debut for the first team during his term at the club, including the likes of Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Pau Cubarsi, Hector Fort, Inaki Pena and Marc Casado.

Moving further back in the timeline, Luis Enrique handed 15 players their debut in three seasons, Ernesto Valverde 14 in two and a half years and Ronald Koeman seven players during his time at the club.

The record, however, is held by none other than Pep Guardiola, who gave 22 players their first chance with the senior team during his time at the club. Needless to say, Flick has big competition to beat.

In the coming weeks, the likes of Pedro ‘Dro’ Fernandez and Guille Fernandez could be in line to make their debut, and that number can even rise as the season progresses.