Flick scours La Masia and finds five academy products ready for the first team

Two straight starts wearing the number 12 on his back. An Egyptian forward who ended up as the top scorer of the Barcelona preseason. A reserve team captain who was packing his bags and ended up staying. Hansi Flick is once again looking toward La Masia, and once again, there are reasons to do so.

The German coach himself summed it up recently in a press conference:

Every year, two or three new players come up from La Masia.Hansi Flick

This preseason and the start of the new campaign have once again helped him spot the academy products who are already ready to fight for a spot on the first team. And there are five names that keep coming up.

Xavi Espart, the all-rounder who reminds him of Kimmich

Flick already compared him last season to Joshua Kimmich for his technical quality, his reading of the game and, above all, his versatility: he can play at both fullback spots and also in midfield. This season he has taken over the first team's number 12 and hasn't wasted the opportunity: he started in the first two league matchdays after a strong preseason.

Hamza Abdelkarim, the option up top

With Gabriel Jesus as the only genuine reinforcement for the attack following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, and with Atletico Madrid blocking the door on Julian Alvarez, the name Hamza Abdelkarim has gained weight in the locker room. The Egyptian, a senior international this summer at the World Cup, finished as Barcelona's top scorer in preseason with 4 goals, including one at the Joan Gamper Trophy that was also his first goal at Spotify Camp Nou. He is 19 and still awaiting his official debut, but the club is confident it will come soon.

Brian Fariñas, plenty of quality for midfield

At the club since 2018, Fariñas was one of the few bright spots for Barca Atletic last season as captain and a fixture in Belletti's side. A close friend of Lamine Yamal and capable of playing both as a pivot and in more advanced positions, his departure from the club seemed all but set. The strong level he showed in preseason, however, has changed those plans: everything points to him staying.

Ebrima Tunkara, the gem already emerging

Born in Gambia in 2010 and raised in Mataro, just like Lamine Yamal, Tunkara joined La Masia at just 8 years old. He can play as an interior midfielder, attacking midfielder or left winger, and this summer he shone with the Spanish under-17 national team at the European Championship for the category. He is currently out with an injury at the start of the season, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him debut with the first team before the campaign is over.

Orian Goren, the exciting Israeli project

He joined the academy in 2023 and, at just 17, already made his mark in preseason, even getting minutes alongside the first team. A creative midfielder with great vision and a good touch, he's seen more as a medium-term project, with Barca Atletic as the natural destination this season. It's no coincidence that Fermin Lopez pointed him out, along with Tunkara, as the teammate who surprised him most in training.