It's time for The Truth!

Sam Tighe and Dougie Critchley deep dive into Barcelona's famed academy, La Masia, which produced a golden generation during the early 2000's that spawned Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and a whole lot more who contributed to Barca conquering the world.

A fallow period for academy graduates followed, leading many to wonder if that golden era truly was a one off, and if modern football could never truly see something similar happen in the modern game, with all its financial pressures and the desire to stay at the apex of the sport.

But of late, La Masia's talent fountain has sprung anew, with a host of young homegrown talent in Hansi Flick's squad as Barcelona have started this season hot - Alex Balde, Hector Fort, Gavi, Pau Cubarsi, Fermin Lopez, Marc Casado, and of course, Lamine Yamal. Is this a sign that the pathway is open again for the Catalan talent factory, or is this simply a consequence of Barcelona's reckless spending leaving them with no other choice?

The Truth is somewhere in the middle...

Hosts: Sam Tighe & Dougie Critchley
Production & Editing: Jack Collins
Studio Recording: Footwork Media

And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon?