La Masia is perhaps the most famous academy on the planet, but for every Lionel Messi that walks out the door, there are some Barcelona players who do not quite make the grade.
Barca legends Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and many more all learnt their way at the academy but while that particular class was a golden generation, there have been other players to come and go without much notice.
From former Everton wingers to a player who found his car hit with gunshots in Colombia, here are seven Barcelona academy products who are currently without a club.
Gerard Deulofeu
Former Everton and Watford winger Deulofeu joined Barcelona in 2003 but left in 2015 in search of first-team football.
He arrived at Goodison having spent a season on loan there and then at Sevilla but moved to AC Milan on loan in 2017.
Barcelona then made the decision to bring him back to the Camp Nou in 2017 but 10 games later and he was out the door once again.
This time it was to Watford before he moved onto Udinese, owned by the same family, but the Italian club agreed to mutually terminate the Spaniard’s deal, meaning Deulofeu has been without a club since January 16.
Rafinha
His brother Thiago may have already hung up his boots but Rafinha is, for now, still in the game.
While Thaigo headed off to Bayern, Rafinha stayed with Barcelona until 2020 but never cemented a first-team spot.
In the pandemic-hit year, he moved to Paris but played just 28 times after two years before being loaned to Real Sociedad.
In 2022, he left France for Qatari club Al-Arabi but departed in July 2024 and has been unable to find a new club since.
Jean Marie Dongou
A product of the Samuel Eto’o Academy, Cameronain Dongou arrived at La Masia in 2008 but would only ever make one league appearance for the Catalan first team.
Not making the cut, Dongou transferred to Zaragoza in 2016 but began to fall down the footballing pyramid.
After playing for eight clubs in six years, Dongou’s most recent action came at Japanese side FC Osaka.
However, four games without scoring prompted the Japanese third-tier club to cancel the contract in 2023 and Dongou has not had a club since.
Ruben Rochina
Winger Rochina made the unusual swap of Barcelona for Blackburn in 2011, having never made it to the Catalan first team.
He made 46 league appearances for Rovers, scoring just seven goals and spent two periods on loan back in Spain, first at Zaragoza and then at Rayo Vallecano.
He moved back to Spain permanently in 2014 to join Granada but two years later, he signed for Rubin Kazan.
Rochina made another comeback, this time to Levante before returning to Granda in 2021.
In 2024, he signed for lower league side Atletico Baleares but left in July 2024.
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Jony Rodriguez
Left winger Rodriguez joined the Barcelona academy from Real Oviedo but would never even play for the B-side.
Instead, he returned to Oviedo, making just one league appearance for the first team before dotting around a number of Spanish clubs.
A run of games at Sporting Gijon convinced Malaga to sign him and then he joined Lazio in 2019.
He returned to Spain, initially on loan at Osasuna and then Sporting Gijon, before joining Cartagena in 2023.
He was, however, released in January 2024, having played just 66 minutes for the team.
Iago Falque
With a youth career that included Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, much was hoped for striker Falque.
36 appearances on loan for the Villareal B team convinced Tottenham to take him on loan before purchasing him in 2013 but he made just one league appearance for the London club.
Loan spells at Southampton, Almeria and Rayo Vallecano eventually saw him move to Italy and Genoa in 2014 before he joined Roma the following year.
He swapped Rome for Turin in 2017 as he joined Torino before departing Europe and heading for Colombia with America de Cali.
His career took a turn for the worse though, when his car was shot at three times near the club’s training facilities, prompting him to agree to mutual termination in 2023.
Raul Baena
Defensive midfielder Baena moved across Barcelona in 2007 when he joined Espanyol from the Camp Nou academy.
He would go on to play 85 times for the team before moving to Rayo Vallecano in 2013.
Baena then went to Granada in 2017 before moving Down Under to join Melbourne Victory on loan.
Afterwards, he headed to Greece to join Atromitos before moving to China and then back to Spain in 2023.
His last club, Sabadell, contacted him for just a single season and the deal ran out last summer.
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