The children’s, youth and reserve teams have their traditional presentation alongside Club President Sandro Rosell
Piqué – just another fan
Gerard Piqué was present at the event and on the social networks he uploaded a photo of the presentation explaining: “this is the future of FC Barcelona!”
Barça’s academy players were officially presented on Thursday afternoon at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper in the presence of Club President Sandro Rosell and board members responsible for the footballing area Josep Maria Bartomeu and Jordi Mestre, who spoke to the youngsters. Sporting and academy directors Andoni Zubizarreta and Guillermo Amor were also present, alongside members of the sporting commission.
After the Barça hymn had been played, the players were introduced on Pitch Number 1 by Manel Vich, from the youngest -Iker Blázquez (7) to the oldest -David Lombán (25). Three of the Club’s women’s team were also presented, with the fourth, trained by Xavi Llorens, in London for the Champions League.
Rosell stresses effort without excuses
In his intervention, Sr Rosell admitted: “there are two events I most enjoy attending – the presentation of gold awards to members with more than 50 years at the Club, which represents our history and our past, and this one. This is the future of our Club and the heart of our philosophy”. Speaking directly to the players, Rosell explained: “you are privileged and you have to be aware of what you have at your feet. You have to be an example of everything that surrounds you. Others want to be like you and so you have the responsibility to represent FC Barcelona’s values”.
Sandro Rosell went on to cite Kyle Maynard, the sportsman with congenital amputation who recently spoke at La Masia: “there are no excuses. You are at the best Club in the world. You represent people who love you and you represent our country. You have to make a special effort”. The President then posed for photos with all the teams.
“Very fortunate”
With the stands full of proud family members, Oriol Busquets, the captain of the Infantil A team, spoke on behalf of the 300 boys and girls at La Masia and claimed: “we feel very fortunate to form a part of the best football school in the world”, before passing on words of encouragement for Club captain Carles Puyol.
Board member Jordi Mestre reminded all present that:“our commitment to the academy is clear and we believe we are demonstrating that with what we are doing”. Zubizarreta also stressed: “we are aiming to be true to our style, putting in resources and trying to ensure the kids come out as better people. Success comes from combining talent and hard work”. Amor explained: “we enjoy every minute and every hour of the training. It’s down to the kids, but I think we are improving on last season in terms of results”.