Barcelona’s €15m-rated breakthrough starlet becomes a role model for youth players at club

Marc Casado has been the breakthrough star of the season so far for FC Barcelona, becoming a pivotal part of the team under new manager Hansi Flick.

Having come close to seeing his contract expire, the 21-year-old is now a permanent fixture in the first-team starting lineup and is coming on the back of a brilliant week during which he starred in wins over Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

An example

As such, SPORT reports that Barcelona’s handling of Marc Casado’s integration into the first team is being held up as the model pathway for the club’s academy talents.

The young Spaniard, based on how he has transitioned to the senior setup this season, has become an inspiration and a role model for all La Masia prospects dreaming of making the leap to Barcelona’s first team.

In fact, Barcelona Atletic coach Albert Sanchez recently revealed how he uses Casado’s story to motivate his young players before the match against Barakaldo.

“I’ve used Casado as an example to tell them: ‘You can play with him. And with Flick, who is here,’” Sanchez revealed.

Casado was pretty much a regular in the matchday squads last season but never really got a proper run under then-manager Xavi Hernandez.

However, that has significantly changed with Flick taking over and Casado has now established himself as a permanent fixture in the Barça midfield alongside Pedri this season.

A player who worked his way through La Masia and spent two years with the subsidiary team (captaining for one season) before establishing himself in the senior setup, Casado is now being viewed as the role model for youngsters at the academy to follow.

*Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication.