Former Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman had planned to loan out Pedri, then just 17, at the beginning of the 2020-21 season. Pedri was signed by Barca from La Palmas, but just a few practice sessions later, Koeman cancelled his proposal.
“This kid is amazing,” he would say. “After just two days of training, I noticed Lionel Messi was constantly trying to build a connection with him. For me, that was the final confirmation to keep Pedri,” the Dutchman had said.
Pedri, 23, has since become an integral part of former coach Luis Enrique’s team and later Luis de la Fuente’s 2026 World Cup-winning squad. His performance after coming on as a substitute in Sunday’s final was one of talking points of the match.
Pau Cubarsi made his senior team debut for Barca just days before turning 17. A central defender par excellence, Cubarsi, now 19, plays like a senior pro. Much of the credit for the air-tight Spanish defending in the World Cup goes to the teenager.
He hardly gave Kylian Mbappe any space in the semi-finals, and against Argentina on Sunday he was outstanding, coming up with a timely clearance in the
dying minutes of the match. A product of Barca’s La Masia Academy, Cubarsi has everything that a central defender needs to be successful at the top level.
He is calm, composed and creative. You do not get many with all three qualities. He shows his class every week for Barca, and now the world saw his talent.
On Sunday, Cubarsi was adjudged Young Player of the Year. And if you want to know where some of Cubarsi’s celebrated predecessors were at the same age as he is now, here are a few instances: Carles Puyol at 19 was still with Barca Bl Gerard Pique had not yet played a game for Manchester United where he had gone on loan; Sergio Ramos was still proving himself at Sevilla; and Inigo Martínez was with Real Sociedad B.
Lamine Yamal, Cubarsi’s batchmate at La Masia, broke into the Barcelona senior team at the age of 16. Exceptionally talented, Yamal was much restrained on the right of the Spanish attack during this World Cup.
Now just 19, he is already a Euro and World Cup winner.
Argentina tried hard to provoke him, but he was not to be swayed. He plays with dream in his eyes, has the confidence of a winner and does not get intimidated easily.
Three youngsters, three different styles of play, yet when they are in the same playing XI, they dominate their rivals. Like Barca coach Hansi Flick, De la Fuente has also successfully channelised the talent in Pedri, Cubarsi and Yamal – not to mention the rest.
So what makes Spain produce such outstanding talents? It’s the ecosystem which makes all the difference. Technical supremacy, cognitive catching, high-coaching standards and graduating
to the senior team at an
early age are the reasons behind the success.
Sixteen years ago – when Spain won their first World Cup title – the world raved about Andreas Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, two midfielders par excellence. They were also products of La Masia.
Fernando Torres, who scored the winner against Germany in the Euro 2008 – Spain’s first major title after 44 years – came up the ranks from the Atletico Madrid Academy. Ferran Torres was with the Valencia Academy. On Sunday, his extra-time winner gave Spain their second World Cup title.
Torres was much vilified by Spanish fans for his consistent no-shows, but here he is the new hero. It’s the Spanish football system which allowed Torres to bloom. Despite some setbacks, national coaches like Luis Enrique and De la Fuente never turned their back on him. Their faith paid off.
As it did with Golden Glove winner Unai Simon. A product of the Athletic Bilbao Academy, Simon was not that comfortable playing with the feet as modern football demands from every shopstopper. As then Bilbao’s No. 1 goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga left for Chelsea, Simon was catapulted to the top spot.
Then national team coach Enrique, despite pressure, decided that it had to be Simon at the goal for Spain.
De la Fuente also did not have second thoughts on his No. 1 keeper despite having David Raya and Joan Garcia on the roster. Simon let in just one goal in the whole tournament.
Torres and Simon are perfect examples of how a player’s confidence can get a boost when coaches consistently back them.
A few years ago, newly appointed Emami East Bengal coach Antonio Lopez Habas, during an informal chat, had spoken about how the academies work in the same direction to produce new talents.
“Focus is always on ball mastery rather than raw physicality,” the Spaniard had said. “There is also a lot focus on positional awareness.”
The coaching standards are also high with elite RFEF (Spanish football federation) and Uefa qualifications. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni was in one of those programmes where De la Fuente was an instructor.
The robust system helped Spain produce world- famous managers like Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Unai Emery, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola.
De la Fuente entered the Spanish youth system in 2013 after seeing a job advertisement posted by the RFEF for youth team coaches.
Unemployed at the time, he applied for the position, cleared the hiring process, and began managing the U-19 squad. Rest as they say is history. He is now the oldest coach to win the World Cup, surpassing the previous record held by compatriot Vicente del Bosque in 2010.
Despite a lengthy spell of setbacks after the 2012 Euro triumph, Spain did not panic and stayed true their style of football.
There were changes though, they started moving with the ball quicker, brought in more intensity, and went vertical, where wingers play a much more important role.
Luis Enrique started it even though he had limited success. De la Fuente tweaked it further and got mind-blowing results. An Euro title in 2024 and a World Cup
two years later. Going by Spain’s talent, more silverware is inevitable.