7 Hidden Gems: Former Barcelona Wonders Still Shining in Obscure Leagues Worldwide

Barcelona ‘s La Masia has produced countless brilliant players over the years, from Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets back in the day to the likes of Lamine Yamal and Gavi today.

However, not all promising academy talents succeed at Barcelona or compete at the highest levels elsewhere. Many of these alumni have faded from prominence, now playing for less recognizable teams.

Below are seven Barcelona academy graduates who are now plying their trade in some lesser-known leagues globally.

Cristian Tello

You may recall Tello rising to prominence as a skilled team player during Pep Guardiola’s dominant era in the early 2010s.

The wing player netted 20 goals in 86 appearances for his childhood team before proceeding to have a commendable career at a reasonable standard, featuring for clubs such as Porto, Fiorentina, and Real Betis.

During his later years, Tello has played in Major League Soccer for LAFC and in the Saudi Pro League for Al-Fateh, as well as presently for recently promoted club Al-Nasr. In this team, he joins an interesting mix of players including Kurt Zouma, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, and former Barcelona transfer target Jean Michael Seri.

Konrad de la Fuente

A few years back, We completely fell for the Konrad hype. .

Many had high hopes for the Florida-native winger from La Masia as they believed he could become a key player for both Barcelona and the United States, though he has not yet achieved the expected level of success.

De la Fuente debuted internationally in 2020, though he had limited additional appearances. Despite not breaking through with Barcelona’s first team, he transferred to Marseille in 2021 seeking increased playing time.

However, game time was restricted even at the Vélodrome Stadium. Loan moves to Olympiacos and Eibar did not revitalize his career. Last summer, he transferred to Swiss Super League team Lausanne-Sport, yet most of his appearances this season have come as a substitute.

So far this season, he has recorded one assist and zero goals in 19 matches played in Switzerland's top league.

Sergi Samper

Those who observed Barcelona’s youth squads during the early 2010s were convinced that Samper would be the next Sergio Busquets.

It didn't pan out as expected. Samper only managed one game with his local team in La Liga and failed to make much of an impact during short stints at Granada and Las Palmas through loan deals.

In 2019, he departed from Barcelona and stayed with his longtime friend Andres Iniesta at the Japanese club Vissel Kobe for four years. Later, he moved back to Europe to join Gerard Pique's team, FC Andorra.

Last summer, he signed with Motor Lublin, a recently promoted team from Poland that has been performing surprisingly well in the upper portion of the Ekstraklasa standings.

Marc Muniesa

Another frequent visitor to Barca B who never managed to break into the main squad, Muniesa has experienced an interesting journey in his career.

Following four seasons in the Premier League with Stoke City, the defender went back to Catalonia to join Girona as they were beginning their tenure in La Liga.

Subsequent years have seen him play his football in Qatar (Al-Arabi), Denmark (Lyngby) and back to Qatar (his current club, Al Shahaniya)

Martin Montoya

Another M-M defender hailing from La Masia, it’s easy to see why one might confuse him with Muniesa. Even the sharpest minds can get them mixed up at times.

At Barcelona, Montoya had a slightly larger presence within the main squad before moving on to play for Valencia, Brighton, and Real Betis after leaving Camp Nou in 2016.

The 33-year-old right-back has entered his second year with the Greek Super League team, where he rubs shoulders with fellow La Masia alumnus Monchu, ex-Madrid youth player Juankar, and Football Manager favorite Pione Sisto.

READ: What have become of them? The 7 players released by Barcelona in 2015.

Jon Toral

The midfielder developed through Barcelona’s youth system along with Samper, with whom he spent eight years playing together across different tiers.

However, he left the team sooner, emulating Cesc Fabregas by moving to Arsenal to further his growth under the guidance of Arsene Wenger.

Sadly, he never fully made it with Arsenal and ended up signing for Hull City following several loan spells elsewhere.

Following his tenure of three years in Greece with OFI, Toral signed with Mumbai City, an Indian Super League team, during the previous summer. It's worth noting that this club is largely owned by theCity Football Group.

Dani Pacheco

You might not be aware that Pacheco honed his skills at La Masia. Liverpool actually signed him directly from Barcelona when he was a teenager way back in 2009.

The midfielder failed to make an impact at Anfield and has predominantly played in Spain throughout his career, representing several teams including Rayo Vallecano, Huesca, Alcorcón, Real Betis, Alavés, Getafe, Málaga, and Logroñes.

Over the past several years, he has been playing in Poland, and last summer he left Gornik Zabrze to join the second-division team Wisla Plock. His journey hasn’t turned out as expected since he was once considered the future star of Liverpool.

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