Former La Masia chiefs reveal how Barcelona beat Real Madrid to sign midfield gem

Barcelona are once again reaping the full benefits of their trust in the talents coming through at La Masia as players like Gavi, Lamine Yamal, Alejandro Balde, Pau Cubarsi, and Fermin Lopez have all become integral parts of the senior setup.

The two men mainly responsible for their signings – the former directors of Barcelona’s Youth Football, Jordi Roura and Aureli Altimira, recently spoke to Mundo Deportivo in an extensive interview, during which they shed light on how these signings at La Masia came about.

Gavi was in demand

The beating heart of the Barcelona midfield, Gavi has been with the first-team setup for four seasons now and has established himself as a firm fan favourite.

The 20-year-old midfield gem is a Cule through and through, but there was a chance that he could have ended up at rivals Real Madrid.

Indeed, Roura and Altimira, during the interview, revealed that Real Madrid also wanted Gavi before he was signed at La Masia, while Atletico Madrid were also interested.

“We got very good information from the Andalusian scouts. And it is essential to know how to use it. On Sunday we were already watching him in Seville. I immediately called Aureli,” said Roura.

“Because we had to get active quickly. We spoke to his agent, Ivan de la Pena, because Madrid, Atlético and Villarreal were all watching and within a week Gavi was already visiting La Masia. Speed was key,” he added.

Now one of the faces of the Barcelona team, Gavi is seen as a future first-team captain at the club and even donned the captain’s armband earlier this month when he made his return from injury after 11 months against Sevilla.