La Masia says Goodbye

Guardiola, Puyol, Xavi and many other FC Barcelona players have grown up on the grounds of FC Barcelona club. They started when they were just young children who liked playing football and were talented. They joined the FC Barcelona academy and were trained and educated in the emblematic La Masia. You can see it in the picture above with the statue of the Avi del Barça (FC Barcelona grandad).

But it's time for a change and a step forward, La Masia has closed its doors after 32 years as FC Barcelona academy and house for young sportsmen to be trained to become FC Barcelona professional players. This is not the end of the academy as it will move to a bigger building with more facilities and a better communication.

On 30th June 2011, the closing and farewell ceremony took place at noon. The vice president of the club Josep Maria Bartomeu, the director of the football academy Jordi Mestre, the director of La Masia, Carles Folguera and the professional football director and ex-resident of La Masia, Guillero Amor were the ones responsible for the official closing of La Masia. Besides, the 16 trophies FC Barcelona has won this season 2010/2011 were present at the front door of La Masia as part of the ceremony.

On the picture you can see some of the FC Barcelona players who were children at La Masia. As you can see lots of current players have been raised and have learned at the FC Barcelona academy.

The new venue for the FC Barcelona Academy is the center Oriol Tort at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, in Sant Joan Despí, next to Barcelona. Why the name of Oriol Tort? Who is that man? Well, Oriol Tort was a very important person in La Masia and FC Barcelona. He was the “father” of all the FC Barcelona players he trained when they were children from 1959 to 1977. So, we can conclude that this is the best name the new center could have.

So, It will be in this new building where children will continue receiving master classes and good education to become great value professionals following the FC Barcelona "tarannà" as people say in Catalan, which I would translate as FC Barcelona mindset. The ideas and objectives of La Masia will remain intact and transferred to the new young FC Barcelona players. 

Could you help me complete the list of the FC Barcelona players who were raised in La Masia?