After a 2-2 draw in LaLiga against Osasuna in December, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez didn't know whether to be delighted or despondent about the role three teenagers played in securing a point for his side. Nico Gonzalez and Abde Ezzalzouli scored the goals at El Sadar that day, with Gavi setting the former up during another dazzling display that shows why he is already a regular for Spain's national team at the age of 17. Xavi noted that all three had been "extraordinary," but added it was "difficult to digest" that it was the young players "propping the team up."
Barca's young players have bailed them out several times this season. If it's not Nico, Abde or Gavi, then it's Ansu Fati, Ronald Araujo or Pedri. The club's financial crisis -- which saw Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann leave last summer to ease the burden on the wage bill -- has translated to a renewed focus and greater dependence on youth.
In total, eight players from either the B team or the U-19 team have made their LaLiga debuts this season. That number doesn't include Ansu, Araujo and Pedri, who had already established themselves as regulars, although Pedri joined the first team directly from second division Las Palmas in 2020. Ten teenagers have scored in the Spanish top flight in 2021-22, and five of them play for Barca: Gavi, Ansu, Pedri, Nico and Abde (although Nico and Abde have recently turned 20).
This generation shift has been the one sliver of light in a largely catastrophic season for Barcelona. They failed to make the Champions League last 16 this year for the first time since 2003 and are 15 points off the pace in LaLiga. Their sole objective right now is to ensure a top-four finish and a return to the Champions League next term.
Despite that, the mood is lifting around the club, and the youth movement is a big reason. After all, a large part of the club's success over the past decade was built on academy graduates like Carles Puyol, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi. Another one, Xavi, is now back as first-team coach, and several others have grown into the veterans of the team: Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba.
November will mark 10 years since Barca fielded an XI made up entirely of ex-youth team players. Eight had been born in Catalonia. Iniesta and Pedro were the only two from another part of Spain and only Messi was from a different country. In contrast, the players coming through now have very different backgrounds and represent the changing face of the club, the academy and society at large. They also show that there are myriad ways to make it to the top in football.
ESPN spoke to coaches, family members and people at the club to find the backstories behind the generation of new talent that Barca desperately hope can bring back the glory days sooner than later.
MF | 20 | Debuted Aug. 15, 2021 (Barca 4-2 Real Sociedad)
Nico's dad, Fran Gonzalez, was part of the Deportivo La Coruna side known as "SuperDepor" that won LaLiga in 2000. When Nico was born, Fran was still playing in the top flight, but being the son of a famous footballer didn't immediately push him down the same path.
"Nico didn't want to play football at first," Fran told ESPN. "When he was 6, he had no interest. I was still playing and maybe he was tired of going from place to place [due to football]. But then one day arrived and, I don't know why, but he just started to play."
Once he started, he had all the tools to develop, including a small pitch at home and a dad who had made 16 appearances for Spain. Fran helped him with his technique, but insists that everything Nico has achieved is down to hard work. Around the age of 10, Nico was playing two age groups up for local side Montaneros at a tournament in Galicia, where he was born. He scored twice against Barca and also impressed against Real Madrid.
"That game was the deciding factor for Barca to say: 'Bloody hell! We've got a player here,'" Fran added. A year later, along with his family, he swapped Spain's west coast for the east coast, turning down a bigger offer from Madrid. "It was an easy decision for the kid to come to Barcelona," Fran said. "He had the chance to go to Madrid or Barca and he chose Barca. Well, him and his mum chose Barcelona!"
From there, Nico progressed through the academy over the past eight years, culminating in his first-team debut against Real Sociedad last August. He's since made 27 appearances, scoring two goals.
Of the new generation, Nico (along with Gavi) perhaps has the most in common with the previous one. A midfielder who can play as a No. 6, a No. 8 or a No. 10 without any issue, he stands out in his position due to his large frame.
"It was difficult when he was 15 because he grew 25 cm [10 inches] and he didn't have much strength," Fran explained. "I was working at Manchester City at the time and when I came to see him he was very thin and very tall. That was perhaps the worst moment for him so far." Nico recovered and has long been singled out as a generational talent by people within the club. There has also been interest from elsewhere, including from Man City when he was around 16.
"He had offers from abroad, very big offers, a lot of money, but his dream was to play for Barcelona," Fran continued. "It's been a huge sacrifice, above all for his siblings, who didn't want to go to Barcelona, but the dream has been fulfilled this season."
While Nico wasn't interested in football at 6, his teammate Gavi was already drawing scouts to watch him in the south of Spain.
"You quickly saw that he was not a normal 6-year-old," Manuel Basco, his first coach at La Liara in the town of Los Palacios y Villafranca in Andalusia, told ESPN. "The way he carried the ball and competed. ... It just was not normal. You can teach some things, but it was innate to him. I said to my daughter Ana, 'I'm keeping his registration card because he is going to play in the first division.' She said, 'Dad, he's only 6,' but I said, 'We'll see.' I've still got the card!"
After Gavi moved to Real Betis and scored 96 goals for their U-10 team, Ivan de la Pena, a former Barca midfielder and now Gavi's agent, was alerted to his talent by a scout, sources explain to ESPN. By the time De la Pena made contact, Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal were already pushing for him to sign, but De la Pena managed to convince him to sign for Barca by telling him about his own experiences at La Masia. Plus, at the time in 2014, it was the Barca of Messi, Neymar, Xavi, and Iniesta. Sources say Messi was a particular pull for Gavi.
