La Masia graduate Martin Montoya has revealed just how close he came to taking a very different path as a youngster, admitting he could have followed Gerard Pique to Manchester United before choosing to stay loyal to Barcelona instead.
As quoted by [Mundo Deportivo](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/fichajes/20260325/1004159305/pude-manchester-united-pique-mi-sueno-barca.html), the former Barcelona right-back said that when he was very young he was close to joining Manchester United, in the same way Pique and Cesc Fabregas moved to England early. He said:
**“When I was very young, I was close to playing for Manchester United. They come and offer you contracts like they did with Cesc Fabregas or Pique, they were offering four years in England, but at that moment I did not want that. My dream was to play for Barcelona. For me, United are the biggest team in the Premier League.”**
That choice says plenty about how La Masia can pull players and want them to stay at Barcelona in even when big offers arrive from abroad. At that age, a long contract in England can look like the safer route, especially when other top talents are already making that jump.
Montoya saw it differently. He was tempted by a giant of the Premier League, but he still chose patience over the shortcut. He may have never made it as a huge star in the first team like a Pique did but he had his moments.
Years later, Montoya did end up sharing a dressing room with both Pique and Fabregas at Barcelona after they returned from England and rejoined the first team. This just shows that there isn’t just one route to success at the Catalan club.
La Masia and Barcelona continue to be a partnership that keeps giving. The current squad has so many players who came through the academy and let’s wait and see how things play out.