Barça and PSG, Xavi and Luis Enrique, are set to face off in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Both coaches are known for their commitment to the Barça style and have nurtured young talent during their time at the club. Xavi has given opportunities to 16 youth-trained players since his return in 2021, while Luis Enrique did the same with 15 players between 2014 and 2017.
Xavi has continued to provide chances for young players. Fermín, Marc Guiu, Héctor Fort, and Pau Cubarsí have all made their first-team debuts this season. Cubarsí and Héctor Fort were the latest additions to the list of 16. Cubarsí, a center-back already in the national team, debuted against Unionistas in the Copa del Rey round of 16 (1-3), while Héctor Fort made his debut against Antwerp (3-2) in the Champions League group stage.
During the 2022-23 season, players like Héctor Bellerín, Iñaki Peña, Marc Casadó, Chadi Riad, Ángel Alarcón, Aleix Garrido, and Lamine Yamal all made their debuts. The first batch of players to debut under Xavi as Barça coach included: Ilias Akhomach, Ferran Jutglà, Álvaro Sanz, Estanis Pedrola, and Mika Mármol.
Luis Enrique also introduced 15 players during his time. In his first season, where he won the League, Cup, and Champions League, seven players made their debuts: Munir, Sandro, Samper, Ié, Masip, Halilovic, and Gumbau. Three more players from the youth academy played in the 2015-2016 season: Kaptoum, Aitor, and Cámara. Additionally, five others got some minutes with the first team: Aleñá, Cardona, Nili, Borja López, and Alex Carbonell.
Pep Guardiola is the one who holds the record with 22 players and 12 years ago, on November 25, 2012, Tito Vilanova 's Barça lined up an eleven full of youth players to play against Levante in the Ciutat de València: Valdés, Jordi Alba, Puyol, Piqué, Montoya, Cesc Fàbregas, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi and Pedro.
This content has been translated and adapted from the Spanish version of the digital newspaper