When things get hard, Barcelona can always count on the young players coming out of La Masia to fill in the gaps in the starting lineup.
This formula has been tried and tested numerous times over the years, and it has been prioritized this season in particular because a number of homegrown young players have made an impression on the senior squad. Still, there are times when the road to the first team is not easy.
It is not unreasonable to argue that Barça would have had trouble finding minutes for the majority of the academy prospects if they hadn’t been mired in a financial and injury crisis.
Indeed, when there is too much competition in the first team, former La Masia graduates are frequently forced to leave.
And Alejandro Grimaldo is among the players who can vouch for that information; he moved from Barcelona to Benfica in order to get more playing time back in 2016. Grimaldo, who is currently playing for Bayer Leverkusen and is regarded as one of the top left-backs in European football, spoke with Fabrizio Romano about a variety of football-related subjects.
Grimaldo Looked Up To Messi As A Child
Barca News acknowledge that the 28-year-old professed his admiration for Barcelona legend Lionel Messi, who, like him, graduated from the team’s talent factory, La Masia, when asked who his childhood idol was.
Many players coming through the Catalans academy ranks look up to the Argentine World Cup winner, and Grimaldo was no exception.
“My childhood idol is Messi. For me, he is the best player of all time. I grew up in La Masía watching him play in the first team,” he claimed.
Transfer Rumors Last Summer
Grimaldo was in high demand prior to joining Bayer Leverkusen as a free agent; numerous elite teams were linked to the gifted full-back.
Rumors about him being associated with Barcelona, his old team, were common. In response to a question about his summertime contacts with clubs, including Barcelona, Grimaldo said:
“There were contacts with several teams, with teams from the Spanish league, the Premier League and even the French league.
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“But I think in the end the most important thing for me in this step was to go to a team where the coach believes in you and then the project as well.”
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