The success of La Masia has been the biggest lever for Barcelona, at a time when the club have struggled to economically sustain themselves.
Whenever the club have required reinforcements into the first team, one La Masia talent or the other has stepped up to the plate.
This has been especially relevant for the likes of Gavi, Lamine Yamal, Alejandro Balde and most recently, Marc Casado, who is being looked at as a long-term replacement for Sergio Busquets.
Barcelona’s next youth star can replace Nico
Following the breakthrough of young Casado, Barcelona are awaiting the next La Masia to explode onto the scene.
To that end, a recent report from SPORT has indicated that Dani Rodriguez could well become the next big thing coming out of La Masia.
Barcelona’s newest sensation in the youth levels (Photo by TOM GOYVAERTS/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
Aged just 19, Rodriguez is rated very highly within the Barcelona youth camp, as many consider that he has the skillset very few players do.
Hence, they expect Dani to soon start featuring for the first team, where he can be an interesting alternative to the likes of Raphinha and Yamal.
The report goes on to suggest that Dani may even tempt Barcelona to abandon their pursuit of star talent Nico Williams.
Despite a failed move in the summer, Barça remain on the hunt for the Spanish international, who has been also linked with a move to the Premier League.
However, should Dani Rodriguez manage a swift breakthrough and follow in the footsteps of Yamal, Barcelona may no longer require the addition of a new winger such as Nico.
All of this, of course, is purely hypothetical and Dani has a long road ahead of him before he makes an impact in the first-team. For now, the youngster will be focused on making his first appearance for the senior side in the near future.