Made in La Masia - From Lionel Messi to Cesc Fabregas Part 1

Friday, August 5, 2011

It was more than just a youth academy. Barcelona opened La Masia in the late 1970s on the advice of departing player Johan Cruyff. The Dutchman had been successful at Barca, but the Catalan club was still living in the shadows of fierce rivals Real Madrid. So Cruyff told incoming president Josep Lluis Nunez that to compete with the capital giants, they would need an academy like the one that had proved so successful at his previous cub, Ajax.

Housed in an old farmhouse within kicking distance of Camp Nou, that academy had begun to bear fruit by the time Cruyff returned to the club as coach a decade later, and today it is the envy of every side in Europe. So as La Masia closes its doors for the final time to move definitively to a bigger and better facility on the outskirts of Barcelona, in Sant Joan Despi,

GUILLERMO AMOR


http://www.esmas.com/deportes/futbolinternacional/687424.html

Age: 43

Position: Midfielder

Country: Spain (37 caps, 4 goals)

Career apps: 524 (69 goals)

Barca apps*: 421 (67)

Trophies at Barca: 17

La Masia fact: Amor was the first player to emerge from the academy and be successful for the first team

Guillermo Amor was born in the popular tourist resort of Benidorm, but became a hit further up the coast at Barcelona after graduating from La Masia to star in Cruyff's legendary Dream Team. The stylish midfielder won almost 40 caps for Spain and featured over 400 times for Barca, picking up a hugely impressive 17 trophies in a side that also included current coach Pep Guardiola, as well as an array of talent from abroad, such as Hristo Stoichkov, Michael Laudrup, Romario and later, Ronaldo and Luis Figo. After more than 10 years' service at the Catalan club, Amor was sold to Fiorentina by Louis van Gaal in 1998.

http://totyita.tumblr.com/post/1417125266/fc-barcelona-capitan

http://barcaelections2010.blogspot.com/2010/03/ex-players-amor-and-migueli-linked-with.html

http://shop.sportsworldcards.com/spain---guillermo-amor-153-contenders-upper-deck-1994-world-cup-usa-football-trading-card-31041-p.asp

http://www.iffhs.de/?d847e4a952bd814784d85fe8f55005fdcdc3bfcdc0aec70aeecf8a3c04

http://barcaelections2010.blogspot.com/2010/05/former-player-amor-supports-candidacy.html

http://www.diariodenavarra.es/20071217/deportes/grave-accidente-guillermo-amor.html?not=2007121703135909&dia=20071217&seccion=deportes&seccion2=osasunaFutbol&chnl=20

http://www.blaugranas.com/guillermo_amor-fotos_del_f_c_barcelona-igfpo-1391148.htm

http://www.totalbarca.com/2010/news/breaking-news-yaya-toures-transfer-more-details/

https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/818854/+660

http://www.oldschoolpanini.com/2011/04/avril-1990-barca-real-finale-de-la.html

http://shop.sportsworldcards.com/fiorentina---guillermo-amor-martinez-56-planeta-calcio-2000-italian-football-trading-card-29333-p.asp

http://www.diariodenavarra.es/20071217/deportes/grave-accidente-guillermo-amor.html?not=2007121703135909&dia=20071217&seccion=deportes&seccion2=osasunaFutbol&chnl=20

http://twoyellowcards.livejournal.com/40370.html


http://www.vizcarra.info/es/verCaricatura.asp?i=1307

http://www.blaugranas.com/guillermo_amor-fotos_del_f_c_barcelona-igfpo-2610729.htm

SERGIO BUSQUETS
Age: 22

Position: Midfielder

Country: Spain (30 caps, no goals)

Career apps: 170 (4 goals)

Barca apps*: 139 (5)

Trophies at Barca: 10

La Masia fact: Busquets is the son of former Barca keeper and fellow academy product Carles Busquets

Sergio Busquets is still only 22, but the defensive midfielder has already racked up 10 trophies with Pep Guardiola's side after making his debut early in the 2008-09 campaign. Busquets followed Guardiola from the club's B side and has never looked back, going on to win a place in Spain's first XI and form part of the side that won last year's World Cup in South Africa. A complete defensive midfielder, Busquets covers ably in defence to allow Dani Alves to go forward on the right and his ball skills and distribution have seen him fit in comfortably alongside Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sergio_Busquets_Barcelona.jpg

http://www.oleole.com/sergio-busquets-burgos/pl1mdw.html

http://sportschampon.blogspot.com/2011/08/sergio-busquets-worlds-soccer-players.html

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/YDWGJKYWOtl/FC+Barcelona+vs+CD+Guadalajara/WlCEh9YMFia/Sergio+Busquets

http://sportschampon.blogspot.com/2011/08/sergio-busquets-worlds-soccer-players.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1085175/Gunners-wait-Busquets-stalls-new-contract-Barcelona.html

http://www.oleole.com/sergio-busquets-burgos/pl1mdw.html

http://www.blaugranas.com/sergio_busquets-fotos_del_f_c_barcelona-igfpo-300885.htm

http://soccer-magazine.com/soccer-gossip/transfer-gossip/sergio-busquets-signs-new-barca-deal/

http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/the91stminute/tag/sergio-busquets/

http://pesfaces.co.uk/laliga.php?cat_id=22&download_id=1634

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/Ohqu2UKWN25/Barcelona+v+Sporting+Gijon+La+Liga/5A5ea5CjXDr/Sergio+Busquets

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/251488-european-under-21-xi

http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Kagisho+Dikgacoi/Sergio+Busquets/Spain+v+South+Africa+FIFA+Confederations+Cup/2wcCpUPM1lU

http://www.bettingfixedodds.com/tag/sergio-busquets

http://soccerplayerpict.blogspot.com/2010/04/best-pictures-sergio-busquets-barcelona.html

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-44730826/stock-photo-barcelona-jan-fc-barcelona-player-sergio-busquets-during-spanish-soccer-league-match-between.html

http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Bojan+Krkic/Sergio+Busquets/Tenerife+v+Barcelona+La+Liga/LGzOzTBJfyL