Franc Artiga, former coach of Barcelona's La Masia academy, talks about Barça's young stars.
- What challenges did Gavi face on his way to becoming a professional footballer?
- Gavi and Fermin Lopez, who scored in the Champions League not so long ago - they were very, very small. Barcelona were not bothered with this, but tried to improve their technique and their tactical thinking. Everyone grows up eventually. You just need to be patient at times like this, you need to believe in the players, in their talent. I just want to show you some photos from when Fermin was a child (takes out his phone and starts scrolling). Look how super small he was! Look at his teammates! They are giants compared to him!
But Barcelona believe in this type of players, the things they do with the ball! Earlier we talked about coaches' education. So here is the idea that should be taken as a foundation: the main thing is not winning, but the development of talent. This is the key message in the Spanish academies. But in many other places, there is an emphasis on winning, regardless of whether you play well or badly. Footballers are taught that if they win, everyone will be happy, but that's not the way of academies.
- Who is the most talented footballer you have worked with?
- This is a great but difficult question, because some of the very talented players I've coached didn't make it into the elite. They stayed in the lower leagues due to different circumstances. I'll name three: Gavi, Fermin, Riqui Puig. When I was the coach of the under-19 team, Gavi was 16 years old - he was three years younger than his teammates and played with them. By the way, Fati might be the most talented of all, also there is Dani Olmo. And people are very thankful for Adama Traore. When he was a kid, he set the bar very high. He was unbelievable, very fast.
- Was Fati's leaving Barcelona the right decision?
- He is a player who shows a lot of promise. He didn't fully develop his skills, firstly, because he was given Messi's number 10. That put a lot of pressure on the boy. He wanted to play. It was the right decision to spend a year away from Barça. Now his head coach is Roberto De Zerby, he offered him a transfer. Fati is only 21 years old. When you rise to the top at such an early age, it seems like 20 years is a lot, but it's not like that at all. It's only 20 years old! I hope he will show his worth in England and return to Barça next season. He has a special talent! His departure was necessary both for Barcelona and for him.