The future is now: La Masia grads fire Barca into UCL quarters،
BARCELONA – The last time Barcelona reached a Champions League quarterfinal, Lionel Messi was still playing for the club and the world was in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the four years since, there has been just one round of 16 appearance, two group stage eliminations and plenty of looking back on the past. Now, however, as Barca return to the round of 16 for the first time since 2020 after beating Napoli on Tuesday, there are reasons to look to a brighter future – even if this season hasn't entirely gone as it should. expected after winning La Liga last year.
Fermín López, João Cancelo and Robert Lewandowski may have scored the goals as Barça beat Italian champions Napoli 3-1 at the Olympic Stadium, securing a 4-2 aggregate victory, but it was teenagers Lamine once again Yamal and Pau Cubarsí who were the most impressive. .
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Yamal, 16, was Barca's winner against Mallorca at the weekend and often proved too good for Napoli's experienced left-back Mário Rui, who struggled to cope with his pace and tips. The Spain international led the counterattack that led to the second goal in the 17th minute, playing a perfect pass to Raphinha, whose shot off the post was palmed away by Cancelo. By then, López, the 20-year-old midfielder replacing the injured Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, had already opened the scoring with a fine finish in a stunning start to the match for Barça.
Perhaps the only disappointment for Yamal, who already has 13 goals this season, is not adding his own name to the scoresheet. He had five shots and went close, a whipped left-footed effort curling inches wide in the second half.
In defense, Cubarsí, 17, won the battle against Iñigo Martínez for a starting place and did not disappoint on his Champions League debut. He took on dangerous Napoli man Victor Osimhen, proving himself more than ready for the physical battle. With the ball, making his 12th first-team appearance, he once again excelled, completing 61 of his 68 passes, many of them breaking the lines to create counter-attacking opportunities.
“He's incredible, he was the best player of the match,” midfielder Sergi Roberto said of Cubarsí's performance. “He keeps surprising us, in the Champions League round of 16 and playing that way… he’s a player who can be there for the rest of his life.”
It is remarkable that these young players are already having such an impact on Barca's senior team. Against Naples, they became the first club in the history of the knockout stages of the Champions League to start several players under the age of 18. They have now started three different players under the age of 18 in a Champions League knockout match – the aforementioned duo and Bojan Krkic in 2008 -. surpassing the Bayern Munich record (Jamal Musiala and David Alaba).
It's a vindication for La Masia at a time when Barça needed it. Since coach Xavi Hernández, who led Barça to a first La Liga title since 2019 last season, announced he would step down this summer, results have started to improve. They are now undefeated for nine matches in all competitions. Apart from the return from injury of goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen and the use of Andreas Christensen as a defensive midfielder, this is largely due to Yamal and Cubarsí. López, another player from the club's academy, was also brilliant for an hour before tiring against Napoli.
There will be caution as to how far Barca can go from here. There were some familiar defensive lapses as they let Napoli back into the game, with Cancelo ceding the right flank to Matteo Politano, who helped defender Amir Rrahmani bring the Serie A side back into the game before half-time . There were a few nervous moments after the break, but Barca weathered the storm and earned their way to the quarter-finals when substitute Roberto did well to serve Lewandowski.
Lewandowski's 19th goal of the season sparked wild scenes at the Olympic Stadium as the entire Barca bench spilled into the corner to celebrate. It was a landmark evening for the club: its first Champions League round of 16 at home with supporters since the semi-final against Liverpool in 2019 (Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain in 2020 and 2021 were played behind closed doors ). There was a great atmosphere inside and outside the stadium – which hasn't always been the case this season at Barca's temporary home, where they are playing while Spotify Camp Nou is redeveloped – and, in the end, a worthy result.
Qualification also means a €10.6 million payday for the club – plus revenue from another big home game – which is significant as they had budgeted a quarter-final in their annual accounts.
They risk not progressing further. Manchester City, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich may still be out of their reach, but the club is back where they believe they belong. And, being helped by talents developed by the academy, it will be even more pleasant. They remain eight points off the pace in La Liga, but Xavi's dream farewell is still a possibility in Europe.
