Remarkably, FIFA Ballon d’Or 2010 contenders Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi are all products from Barcelona’s youth academy. On Monday, one of them will be crowned football’s best player but the fact that the award is being contended by men from the same team only shows how great Barcelona’s youth system has been over the years.
This is something which clubs like Real Madrid or Chelsea cannot boast about. To think that the Catalans did not spend one penny on the transfer market to acquire these enviable superstars is amazing. Now, Pep Guardiola has stated that the entire team at Barcelona will have a reason to celebrate the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2010 award.
“It’s incredible. It’s a big boost for the club,” Guardiola told the Blaugrana’s official website as he observed the award’s top 3 shortlist.
“It would be great for the whole world to see 3 home-grown players at the summit. I want them to feel that it is an award for everybody. They [Xavi, Messi and Iniesta] deserve it and so do many others.”
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