Barcelona's Best Teenage Signings Since 2000
Barcelona are a club renowned all over the world for their history of producing players through their academy, La Masia.
The famous output includes Gerard Pique and Lionel Messi from the current regular XI, while the likes of Xavi and Carles Puyol came beforehand—but that's not the only way to incorporate young players into the side.
Sometimes, even the mighty Barcelona have to look further afield for new talent who can add to the side and help push for honours, with in-demand teenagers often fetching high prices in anticipation of what they can offer in future.
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It doesn't always work out, but here we profile the most impressive of those teens signed by Barca since 2000, ranked primarily according to what they achieved at the Camp Nou and, secondarily, what they either achieved later in their careers or what they seem to have the potential to still do.
Missing the cut
Barca added two notable teens to their ranks just before the cut-off period; Simao Sabrosa and Thiago Motta both joined in 1999/00 and would have been in our top few, but both joined in the summer ahead of that campaign.
The latter joined as a youth prospect for the B team from his club in Brazil, Clube Atletico Juventus, while Simao was a £10 million addition from Sporting CP.
7. Gerard Gumbau, 2014/15
First up on the list is a current prospect; Gumbau made a breakthrough in 2015/16 under Luis Enrique, featuring several times when the first team were short of midfield options, with Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal not yet eligible after signing.
Gumbau took a backward step last year, though, not featuring for the seniors and not even a guaranteed starter in the B team.
He joined Barca from Girona in 2014/15 and now, aged 22, is facing a critical upcoming campaign where he either moves on to experience higher-level football on loan or really pushes on to break through into Ernesto Valverde's senior setup.
A controlling midfielder who can play as the No. 6 or No. 8, his range of passing and impressive stature seemed to place him ahead of young rivals to make the grade a year ago, but the stall since then will be a concern.
There's still time, but it might be that Gumbau takes a sideways movement to climb again.
6. Alen Halilovic, 2014/15
The Croatian midfielder hasn't yet featured in La Liga for Barcelona, but we're bumping him up a slot by virtue of what he could yet achieve.
Clearly a hugely talented playmaker, the 20-year-old joined from Dinamo Zagreb in 2014 and went straight to the B team, playing out one season there before heading out on loan to Sporting Gijon—after making his senior debut in the Copa del Rey.
Halilovic was impressive, if slightly inconsistent, at Sporting. That might have been expected, but 2016/17's move to Hamburg didn't work out, and he's now on loan at Las Palmas, who may well sign him if Barca don't execute the buy-back clause they have available.
Tricky on the ball, in possession of a fine shot from range and with good acceleration to surge into space, Halilovic could go an awfully long way in the game, and it'll be no surprise to see him back at Barca in a year.
5. Cristian Tello, 2010/11
Next up it's Cristian Tello, who is still technically owned by Barca despite not being at the club for three years.
He came through the academy at La Masia, but he was actually signed from Espanyol—after leaving Barca for them three years earlier as a youngster.
After three seasons attempting to become an important member of the squad, Tello departed for FC Porto, where he played both the 2014/15 and half of the 2015/16 campaign. Thereafter, he joined Fiorentina for the remainder of 2015/16, before remaining in place in 2016/17.
Tello's star rose considerably over the last year as he finally played a prominent role, scoring four in 37 Serie A matches as La Viola finished eighth.
A wide forward, Tello's strength has always been about beating defenders for pace and skill; it can make him one-dimensional, which was part of the reason he never truly succeeded at Barcelona, but now aged 25, he is becoming somewhat more rounded.
Spanish media suggests he'll be at Mexican outfit Tigres UANL next year, per Mundo Deportivo, but there's still a small chance he could end up back at the Camp Nou at some point.
He's not displacing Neymar any time soon, though.
4. Denis Suarez, 2013/14
Just ahead of Tello it's current squad member Denis Suarez, a regular member of the squad under Luis Enrique but still someone with a lot to prove next year under Valverde.
Denis' ability in La Liga is unquestioned; he was superb at Villarreal as a scheming midfielder cutting in from the flanks, but being back at Barca is a serious step up, and he hasn't yet found consistency in his game when he's not a guaranteed starter.
He originally joined Barca B from Manchester City in 2013, before moving on once more. Barca signed him a year ago thanks to a buy-back clause for just £3 million. Whether he makes the grade this time around or not, that investment will prove to be extremely wise—he'll fetch five times that amount in a heartbeat.
Capable of playing anywhere across the attacking midfield line or as an interior in a 4-3-3, he's versatile enough to keep around for another year regardless of Valverde's signings.
There's work ahead to become a regular, though.
3. Ricardo Quaresma, 2003/04
An absolute enigma of a player, Ricardo Quaresma flopped at Barcelona and hasn't really been a regular star for a significant period anywhere in his career other than Besiktas—yet he's adored by many, is clearly an absurdly talented individual and has over 60 caps for Portugal.
Signed in 2003 for €6 million plus a player on loan—more on that individual soon—from Sporting, Quaresma was exciting, brash, tricky and outrageous.
He lasted a single season at the Camp Nou, scoring only once and falling out spectacularly with boss Frank Rijkaard.
Since then it has been Porto, Inter, Chelsea, Besiktas, Al-Ahli, Porto again and Besiktas again for the journeyman winger, and in all that time—14 years—since joining Barca, he's only once played 100 games for a team before leaving.
Still going strong and having just won the SuperLig in Turkey for a second time, Quaresma's overall meandering career bumps him up the list a lot more than his sole season at Barca would have done.
2. Fabio Rochemback, 2001/02
When Quaresma joined, Fabio Rochemback was the player heading in the opposite direction.
The holding midfielder had already been at the Camp Nou for two years, a regular in his debut season and starting both UEFA Champions League semi-final legs against Real Madrid. The second year wasn't as positive on a personal level, and he was surplus to requirements under Rijkaard.
Two years on loan at Sporting saw him reach a UEFA Cup final, before he moved to Middlesbrough—where he again lost the UEFA Cup final—to officially end his time as a Barca player. Further spells in Portugal, Brazil and China followed thereafter.
Rochemback was capped seven times by Brazil, and in the early part of his career, he was seen as a midfielder of enormous promise, with his range of passing, drive in getting forward from deep and a thunderous rocket of a shot from distance.
It never quite happened, but the signing of him from Internacional was based on solid hope for the future.
1. Javier Saviola, 2001/02
Top of the list comes Argentinian striker Saviola—but he could, and should, have achieved so much more than he did.
An immensely talented forward, he was a threat in every situation: pace to run beyond the defence, great dribbling skills in one-on-one situations and a fine finisher inside the box. His stature was small, but he had aggression in his game, and Barcelona paid £15 million to sign the 19-year-old from River Plate.
A haul of 17 La Liga goals in his debut season—over 20 in all competitions—should have just been the start, but it was actually his high point.
Never again did Saviola surpass 20 for a single campaign in the rest of his career, and after loans at Monaco and Sevilla, he was allowed to leave on a free transfer to Real Madrid. There he was nothing more than a squad player, and despite moving to Portugal, Greece and Italy, he never really built on that early promise.
He was a great youngster and an exciting signing, but he never quite made it to the elite level he perhaps should have.
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