Barca’s La Masia Academy, in constant search for New Messi

Barcelona have lifted the lid on the inner workings of their famous La Masia academy and their search to find the next Lionel Messi in revealing behind-the-scenes footage.

In the final episode of a four-part series created by Beko, first shown by Sportsmail, the cameras delve deep into the club to see how they develop their young stars and prepare them for life in the first team.

The likes of Pep Guardiola, Carles Puyol, Andres Iniesta and Xavi were all residents at La Masia at the start of their careers, going on to great things in the club’s first team.

As inspiration, their names and photos are displayed on the walls of the building, in the hope that the current crop of young stars can follow their path.

Patrick Kluivert, another club legend after spending six years in the first team at the prime of his career, is the current director of youth football, and knows all too well the importance of the academy.

‘Everybody knows La Masia,’ he says. ‘If you play in Barcelona, you have a dream, and the dream is to become a first-team player. If young players are playing in [the La Masia] system, they want to be in the first team at Barcelona.’

The manager of the La Masia residence is Juanjo Luque, who for the past two-and-a-half years has dedicated himself to the development of the club’s young players.

When asked what values they look for in their players, he reels them off: ‘Humility, respect, teamwork, ambition, and effort. We view humility as a priority.’

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Not only do they cater for young footballers, but also basketball, hockey, futsal and handball players who are coming from outside the city to join Barcelona’s different academies.