Top European club ‘copying’ Barcelona’s academy model – report

Barcelona have historically been extremely successful when it comes to nurturing young talents.

In recent years, the academy has produced stars such as Gavi, Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and more recently, Marc Casado.

The success of La Masia has not gone unnoticed in Europe and it appears many clubs have started to imitate the Barcelona model.

PSG trying to imitate the Barça model

One of the clubs looking to ‘copy’ the Barcelona model is Paris Saint-Germain.

As reported by Diario AS, PSG have embarked on a significant overhaul of its youth academy, inspired by none other than Barcelona’s storied youth development system.

The transformation began with the appointment of Luis Enrique as head coach in July 2023, bringing with him a deep understanding of the Blaugrana’s philosophy and style.

The French capital club have invested €300 million into a new training centre in Poissy, aiming to mirror Barcelona’s success in nurturing young talent for the first team.

The goal is clear: to cultivate a seamless transition for youth players into the senior squad, minimizing the adaptation period typically required when young players step up from the academy.

Under Enrique’s guidance, PSG have not only adopted a unified playing style across its youth ranks but has also started integrating young stars into the first team.

Players like Zaire-Emery, Maiolo, Mbaye, and El Hanache have been given opportunities to shine and they haven’t disappointed either.

This approach is reminiscent of how Barcelona has historically promoted its youth players like Xavi, Iniesta, and more recently, Gavi and Yamal.

Yohan Cabaye, appointed as director of the training centre, has been instrumental in scouting and assembling the best young talents from the Ile-de-France region.

The new system, now in place for PSG’s U19 and U17 teams, follows the blueprint laid out by La Masia, focusing on a tactical and philosophical alignment with the first team’s approach.

Only time will tell whether or not PSG’s strategy will become fruitful in the long run. But for now, it appears to be working out very well.