7 Hidden Gems: Barcelona's Once-In-A-Lifetime Pros Still Playing 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 players who emerged from the Barcelona youth system and are now plying their trade in some of the lesser-known leagues globally.

Cristian Tello

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

The winger netted 20 goals in 86 appearances for his childhood team before having a commendable career at a reasonable standard, playing for clubs such as Porto, Fiorentina, and Real Betis.

During his later career, 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-Nora, which boasts a varied locker room including players like 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 he was expected to become a key player for both Barcelona and the United States, yet he has not managed to achieve the level of success that was projected.

De la Fuente debuted for the national team in 2020, though he had limited additional appearances. He struggled to break through with Barcelona’s first team and transferred to Marseille in 2021 seeking increased playing time.

However, game time was restricted at the Stade Vélodrome, and loan spells with Olympiacos and Eibar did not revitalize his career. Last summer, he transferred to Swiss Super League team Lausanne-Sport; nonetheless, 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 was poised to be the next Sergio Busquets.

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

In 2019, he departed from Barcelona and stayed with his longtime friend Andrés Iniesta at J League club Vissel Kobe for four years. Later, he moved back to Europe to join Gerard Piqué's 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

Yet another player from Barcelona B who failed to break into the main squad, Muniesa has experienced an interesting journey throughout his career.

After four years in the Premier League with Stoke City, the defender returned to Catalonia to sign for Girona during their early years 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 confuse him with Muniesa. Even the pros mix them up occasionally.

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

The 33-year-old right-back is entering his second year with the Greek Super League team, sharing a locker room with fellow La Masia alumnus Monchu, ex-Madrid youth player Juankar (please refrain from laughing at the back), and Football Manager fan-favorite Pione Sisto.

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

Jon Toral

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

However, he left the team sooner, much like Cesc Fabregas did, to further his growth by joining Arsene Wenger’s squad at Arsenal.

Sadly, he never fully broke through with Arsenal and ended up signing with Hull City following several loan spells elsewhere.

Following his tenure of three years at OFI in Greece, Toral signed with Mumbai City during the previous summer. This Indian Super League team 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 club Wisla Plock. His journey hasn't turned out as expected compared to when people were praising him as the future star at Liverpool.

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