Inside Barcelona's women's wonderkid factory: How La Masia became the go-to academy for the world's best teenage talents

Barcelona have always been good at progressing homegrown talent through the youth set-up and into the first team, on both the men’s and women’s side. Walk into the club’s academy and a photograph of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi as the top three players in the Ballon d’Or voting in 2010 is blown up on one wall, serving as an emphatic statement regarding the quality the Catalans have helped to develop. Aitana Bonmati, winner of the last two Ballons d’Or Feminin, is among the most notable alumni on the women’s side and, since 2021, there are now female residents living in Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, which succeeded the old La Masia building in 2011, who are aiming to follow in the footsteps of those now icons in Catalunya.

Many of the women who have progressed through Barca’s youth teams and become stars at the very highest level are either from the local area or from other regions in Spain. Bonmati, Claudia Pina and Ona Batlle are examples of players to tick that first box, while Vicky Lopez, the NXGN 2025 women's winner, was signed from Madrid CFF as a 16-year-old and saw her development aided by the club’s youth set-up, playing a lot of football for the B team in her first year in particular.

However, in recent times, Barca has started to look even further afield and recruit the best young talent in the world. Indeed, Lopez is one of four players to represent the club on this year’s NXGN list, alongside Poland's Emilia Szymczak, Italy's Giulia Dragoni and Switzerland's Sydney Schertenleib.

This is not uncommon in the men’s game. Look at the nationalities represented in the academies of the sport’s biggest clubs and you will be greeted by an eclectic array of flags. In the women’s game, though, it’s something new and something that Barcelona are leading the way with.