La Masia de Can Planes, usually shortened to La Masia, is the name of Barcelona's training facilities and youth academy. Made famous by the achievements at club level and international level of some of it's most successful graduates: Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Pique, Puyol, Fabregas, Messi; the list of great players to come through there is long and full of talent. However, in the current Barcelona squad there are several La Masia graduates that haven't quite developed as astronomically as the aforementioned players. This article intends to show how you can develop these relatively unknown players into world beaters themselves.


Marc Muniesa

A talented, ball-playing centre back, he starts the game in the Under 19 squad as an 18 year old. His stand out attributes are concentration, technique and pace, all 14. When looking to develop your young centre backs tutoring is alwaya useful and at Barcelona you've been blessed by the presence of two very suitable candidates: Puyol and Pique. As a result of Puyol's successful tutoring, Muniesa's determination jumped up by 5 points to 15, as well as increases in many other mental attributes, and he also learned three very useful preferred moves: Marks Opponent Tightly, Stays Back At All Times, and Does Not Dive Into Tackles. With the correct training and tutoring Muniesa will be a top quality centre back within in two seasons.




Marc Bartra

A centre back who is also capable of playing right back, Bartra is more Puyol than Pique and as such Puyol is again an excellent choice as mentor. Bartra learned the same three moves as Muniesa and also increased his attributes across the board. While maybe not quite as talented as Muniesa, he improves very quickly and if developed correctly Bartra will be able to step into your side seamlessly when injuries or suspensions strike.


Martín Montoya

This young right back is a raw 19 year old in 2010 but patience and good training will help him develop into a very useful, versatile squad player. Dani Alves is a good choice of mentor for Montoya. He probably won't ever be good enough to be your regular right back, but he'll provide ample cover, allowing you to spend your pesetas on a more important position.