03.09.2009 11:33
Ten stories of the First Division
Jesús Carrillo
Ten players, who only two years ago were playing with the Barça reserve team, have now made their First Division debuts thanks to the support of team coach Pep Guardiola.
Perhaps the most striking example has been midfielder Sergio Busquets. His progress over the past
year has been an inspiration to the younger players. Busquets, who played under Guardiola in the
reserves, was promoted up to the first team and finally appeared in the Rome final as well as
gaining his first full cap for Spain.
Pedro and Jeffren
These two Tenerife born players have also made a name for themselves in
the top flight football with Barça. Pedro spent last season moving from the reserves to the first
team while Jeffren has also made a number of senior appearances this season and last.
Iago and Crosas
Two players that were part of Guardiola’s promotion winning reserve team are
now plying their trade in Italy and Scotland. Iago Falqué joined Juventus last season, making his
debut under coach Claudio Ranieri. This season, new coach Ciro Ferrara has once again included him
in his senior squad.
Meanwhile, Marc Crosas joined Scottish giants Celtic after a year out on loan to Olympique
Lyon.
Chico, Torres, Botía and Sánchez
A further four former Barça reserves have already played in the First Division or will do so
this season. Chico, who was a key central defender in Guardiola’s Barça Atlètic, moved to
Almería last season and has been a regular in the starting line-ups of both Gonzalo Arkonada and
Hugo Sánchez.
Xavi Torres had to wait a bit longer but this year moved to Malaga. He started the
first match of the season and scored Malaga’s third goal against Atlético Madrid in the
Rosaleda.
Víctor Sánchez was a familiar face in the senior squad last season, playing some part in all
three competitions. Last weekend he made his first appearance for Jerez in the First Division.
Finally, Alberto Botía made his Sporting Gijón debut in the Camp Nou on Monday after playing
in the First Division for the first time for Barça in the last match of the 2008-09 season.