FCBARCELONA.CAT

21.06.2008 13:15

Youth academy at Euro 2008

Sandra Sarmiento

Up to eight products of the FC Barcelona youth academy could play in Sunday’s Euro 2008 quarter final tie with Italy.

Eight players who have been through Barça’s youth academy have played in Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland. Some of them are now fixtures in Spain’s national side.

Three from the first team

Xavi, Puyol and Andrés Iniesta all came up through Barça’s youth teams and all three have found success in the club’s first team. Only Iniesta has played in all three of Spain’s group matches against Russia, Sweden and Greece, as Xavi and Puyol were rested for the last game.

Ex-Barça players debut against Greece

Pepe Reina, Fernando Navarro, Sergio Garcia and Dani Güiza made their Euro 2008 debuts on Wednesday against current champions Greece. Reina, now goalkeeper at Liverpool, came up through the Barça academy to make his first team debut in 2000 and stayed at the club for the following two seasons.

Sergio García has had an extraordinary season at a personal level with Zaragoza. Even though his side got relegated, the striker was the sixth most used player in the squad and scored four goals. He made his debut with Barça’s first team in 2003.

Fernando Navarro has really taken off at Mallorca. The Barcelona defender played three seasons in the first team, the last with Rijkaard in the dugout in 2004/05.

Cesc and Guïza at Barça

Finally, Cesc Fàbregas and Dani Güiza never played for Barça’s first team. The League’s top goalscorer played the second half of the 2002/03 season for Barça B. Cesc Fàbregas left for Arsenal when he was playing for the under-16s.