The most Catalan Barça of the last 50 years

BarcelonaIn an effort to put names to things, some Barcelona fans have dubbed the season the "Clàssic League," for having won it just against Real Madrid. Others have simply called it Flick's second league. Some wanted to name it by reaching 100 points, but it won't be possible because the team won't reach that figure after the defeat at Alabès' ground (1-0) when there was nothing more at stake than honor. But the title, achieved three matchdays before the end, could be called the "Catalans' League." And it's because it had been half a century since there was a Barça with such participation of players born in Catalonia: almost half of the available minutes.

The data is provided by journalist Oriol Jové, according to whom 49.2% of the minutes this season have been played by players born in Catalonia. This is the highest figure since the 1970-71 season, when Catalan participation was 57.3%. Following this, the 2012/13 season comes with 46.9%, the 2013/14 with 45.2%, the 1995/96 with 44.9%, and the 1971/72 with 41.1%. If only the last five years are taken into account, the progression is clear: 2024/25 saw 36.9% of minutes played by Catalans, 2023/24 had 20.0%, 2022/23 counted with 24.9%, and 2021/22 was 34.4%. The historical record, which will hardly be surpassed, is from the 1936/37 season (81.8%).

The data highlights the work of Hansi Flick and his determined commitment to the young players from La Masia. It is not just a matter of the problems with fair play, which have conditioned signings and forced coaches to look to the youth academy. The perfect example is the 2023/24 season, in which they only played 20% of the minutes, less than half compared to this year. It was Xavi Hernández's last season on the blaugrana bench, in which he could not win any titles. In total, there were 10 players born in Catalonia: Balde, Cubarsí, Sergi Roberto, Héctor Fort, Casadó, Marc Guiu, Oriol Romeu, Lamine Yamal, Pau Víctor, and Eric Garcia. Despite this strong presence of Catalans, the minutes they ended up playing were rather scarce.

Xavi discovered many talents and gave them the opportunity to debut with Barça's first team, but on a day-to-day basis they did not have the same weight as other players from other territories – who were also more experienced and provided an extra edge of experience that the youngsters could not yet offer. Thus, Eric Garcia was only available for two matches at the beginning of the season, before going out on loan to Girona. Lamine Yamal, Héctor Fort, Cubarsí, Balde, Casadó, Marc Guiu, and Pau Víctor were just beginning to take their first steps in professional football. For his part, Sergi Roberto, who became the first captain after the departure of Busquets and Jordi Alba, played few minutes and had a different role in the locker room. Regarding Oriol Romeu, he was a failed signing by the board. After standing out at Girona the previous season, he signed for Barça, but the leap in level proved too great and he ended up playing a secondary role as a rotation player.

The 13 Catalans who have had minutes at Barça this season

There are 13 Catalan players who have played minutes this season with Barça. If we look at the provinces, Barcelona is the one with the most representatives, with 11; followed by Girona and Tarragona, tied with 1 player each, while Lleida has no representatives. If broken down by regions, the one with the most is Barcelonès, with 4. Gerard Martín, Tommy Marqués and Xavi Espart, born in Barcelona, although the latter moved at seven years old to Vilassar de Mar, and Alejandro Balde, from l'Hospitalet de Llobregat. From Vallès Occidental there are 2: Dani Olmo, born in Terrassa, and Toni Fernández, from Rubí. In the rest of the regions there is only one representative. In Vallès Oriental there is Marc Casadó, from Sant Pere de Vilamajor.

In Baix Llobregat there is Eric Garcia, from Martorell. From Maresme is the emblem of Barça and one of the current best players in the world, Lamine Yamal, from the Rocafonda neighborhood of Mataró. Entering the more inland Catalonia, in Bages there is Joan Garcia, born and raised in the town of Sallent. The last representative from the province of Barcelona is from the Berguedà region, Marc Bernal, born in its capital, Berga. In the province of Girona, there is only one player, and it is Pau Cubarsí, from Estanyol, in Bescanó, in the Gironès region. Finally, the representative from the province of Tarragona is Jofre Torrents, from the town of La Selva del Camp, in Baix Camp.

These data are just a small representative sample of the blaugrana philosophy, untouchable since 1899. Hansi Flick has perfectly understood the message and has enhanced it. In the two seasons he has been in charge of Barça, the German has bet on the talent from the academy and especially on Catalan players. The last two examples are Tommy Marqués and Xavi Espart. Both have debuted with the first team thanks to Flick. Although Tommy had a rather testimonial appearance, playing only 6 minutes, Espart has had more prominence: he has played in the Champions League and has even become a starter against Sevilla.