7 Barcelona Academy Stars to Get Excited About in 2015

Barcelona have always taken great pride in the players that are produced from their La Masia academy.

The wheel continues to turn and the crop that are ready to make the step up from Barca B to the first team within the year will be among the best players to have ever graduated from there.

Some players have already had fleeting dalliances with the first team in the early stages of the Copa del Rey or "dead rubber" Champions League games, and they all have the confidence in their own ability to make that a more permanent occurrence.

Let's take a look at seven academy stars to get excited about.

Alejandro Grimaldo

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Alejandro Grimaldo could find himself in the first team squad next season.

Alejandro Grimaldo has been destined for greatness ever since he made his debut as the youngest ever player to represent Barca B.

An extremely accomplished left-back from a very early age, a major facet of Grimaldo's game is his calmness in possession.

Positionally sound and quick to snuff out danger, it would be no surprise to see Grimaldo's full-time introduction into the first team at the beginning of next season.

Adama Traore

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Adama Traore has searing pace to add to accuracy in the pass.

It can't be long now before this exciting winger takes up permanent residency in the first-team.

The quickest player in the B team by some distance, Traore is well-built—unusually for a wide man—and as such uses his pure physical presence as much as his speed to open up chances for himself or his team-mates.

Selfish when needed, unlike say Gerard Deulofeu when at the same age and stage of development, Traore always goes looking for the pass in the first instance.

It's precisely why Munir scored so many at B team level, because Adama would open up the channels with his pace and then play an accurate pass for Munir to guide home. Picture perfect football.

Already with brief Champions League experience, a permanent step up certainly won't faze him.

Alen Halilovic

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The "Croatian Messi" has got everyone excited.

Along with Traore and Sergi Samper, Alen Halilovic is the most likely to make the step up to the senior side within the next few months.

He works wonderfully well when in possession of the football, and his dribbling skills give him the confidence to take on his direct opponent at every given opportunity.

That extends to offering himself for the ball in even the tightest situations, something at which he excels.

When scoring goals like this, it's easy to understand why he has been labelled the "Croatian Messi." 

The official Barcelona website noted back in July just how impressive Halilovic was in a game against Recreativo Huelva, and he's unlikely to let anyone down once he's been given his chance.

Edgar Ie

Probably Barca B's most naturally gifted centre-back, the young Portuguese Edgar Ie has it all.

Adept at bringing the ball out from the back while under pressure, he also has pace, skill and raw power which marks him out among his contemporaries.

His aerial ability is noteworthy given he is not the tallest of defenders, as the above video shows.

Now in his third season at the club, he should be looking to break through into the first team in the next few months.

Jean-Marie Dongou

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Jean-Marie Dongou still has all of the tools to be a success.

Jean-Marie Dongou burst onto the scene a couple of years ago in a blaze of glory.

He was described by Sky Sports' Spanish football expert Graham Hunter in an interview with total Barca as:

"

Without question the most awe-inspiring player I have ever seen at his age. When I witnessed Messi at the same stage of his development, it later transpired that he was a little bit sulky at being forced to play on the wing in the game I went to watch and, consequently, I came away unimpressed.

"

Such immediate pressure may have contributed to a drop off in form and intensity, in much the same way as we are currently seeing with another forward going through a meteoric rise, Munir El Haddadi.

No matter.

With the spotlight taken away from the Cameroonian, he has gone about his business in the best manner possible, and he was the top scorer in a sensational Barca B campaign last season.

He continues to give opposition defences nightmares and will give Luis Enrique some food for thought if he can maintain his form until the end of this season.

Elohor Godswill

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Elohor Godswill continues to impress.

Given Barca's current problems with the right-back area, we could be seeing Elohor Godswill lining up for the first-team sooner rather than later.

Martin Montoya is "100 percent" certain to be leaving Barca in January, according to Ed Malyon of the Daily Mirror, and Dani Alves could be about to swap Catalonia for the red half of Manchester, according to Mundo Deprtivo (h/t Joe Short of the Daily Express).

Tactically astute, with tremendous physical presence, Godswill also offers a significant attacking threat when required.

He continues to improve year-on-year and remains one of the most highly-rated performers at La Masia.

Sergi Samper

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Sergi Samper will be a fixture for years to come.

The only player to make it from U6 level to the first-team at Barcelona, spending time at every single level on the way up.

Sergi Samper's star has continued to rise and a full first-team debut against APOEL couldn't really have gone any better.

Per WhoScored.com, his 119 touches was the most on the pitch and his accuracy of 93 percent was also the best on show.

With those sorts of figures, it's a wonder why Luis Enrique has only seen fit to use him for one half in the Catalan Cup against Girona since.

He has what it takes to be a success at senior level.