Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Differences in Youth Development

Two fierce rivals, Barcelona and Real Madrid are toe to toe in every aspect, as they build their fanbase and develop their grassroots soccer. However, what matters the most is their academic influence. Barcelona has the best soccer academy La Masia, which has produced a lot of big talents like Lionel Messi, Gavi, Lamine Yamal, and Bojan Kirkic. Their primary focus is on grassroots development and decorum in tense situations.

La Masia has generated lots of big guns under their development programs, which helped their players excel in big games. La Masia's talents have one thing in common which is to build players who can focus on every aspect of the game, such as being a generous playmaker, training to be a creative midfielder, cutting and shuffling the ball like a winger, and having an explosive game like a center forward.

On the other hand, Real Madrid's development program mainly focuses on developing the talent. Their major strategic mindset focuses on buying young talent and making them bigger and better players. Their bossy and dominating attitude have made them the best club in the world.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid's Young Stars

Photo byVienna ReyesonUnsplash

Barcelona's coterie of academy players includes the best of the young players who can cover all the positions and have a tactical strong basis of play. La Masia's immensely talented academy has produced other players such Ansu Fati, Thiago Alcantara, and of course the Goat himself Messi. These players were at the top of their prime at the club. The tactical drills were given the center of attention to these players.

Their top-class abilities in reading the game against tough defenders have helped them to dribble past opponents in big matches. They usually have the 'X factor' to do all-round skills in appropriate situations. Barcelona's star players are usually playmakers with composure, as they can move the game and control the tempo at any particular speed. The main aspect that holds them back is how some players don't recognize their talent and take their game for granted.

Which prevents them from being in top form. There is a saying 'talent without hard work is nothing.' This phrase is most suitable for Barcelona for pushing their talents to see the big picture. On the other hand, Real Madrid has a collection of legends like Casillas, Raul, Carvajal, Nacho, Lucas Vasquez, Fran Garcia, and Fede Valverde. These players have been loyal to Real Madrid.

What Holds Barca's Talents Back?

The major difference between La Fabrica and La Masia is how they develop their young talents to help them grow and improve as players. Barcelona's talents are criticized by many fans around the world.

Even if they perform well, they are called many names and are compared with other players. However, in this scenario, Barcelona is affected by the pressure panics and added intensity on their young talents. This is what happened to Fati and Krkic.

Despite playing well and being ahead of their game, they still get booed which leads to the failure of handling the heat. The main aspect Barcelona fails to look forward to is to keep patience with their young players. Unlike Barcelona, Real Madrid fulfills the vision to integrate players into big games.

For instance, Vinicius Jr, when he came to Real Madrid in 2018, from Flamengo, was playing way below expectations. But Real Madrid gave him enough time for him to grow into his prime form, and currently he at the top of the list to compete for this year's Ballon d'Or.

The same happened with Rodrygo when he first arrived in the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. The major difference is how they mentally train their players. That is the reason why Real Madrid has the best program in soccer.

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Article was originally written by Ayush Kokra