Before reaching Barcelona’s first team, Lamine Yamal belonged to the club’s La Masia youth academy.
La Masia is FC Barcelona’s renowned player-development system. Yamal joined Barcelona’s youth setup in 2014 after being scouted at six years old, having started playing football with local club La Torreta. He advanced through the academy’s age groups and was regarded as one of its outstanding prospects.
While still a teenager, Yamal began training with Barcelona’s senior squad under manager Xavi. He made his first-team debut on 29 April 2023 against Real Betis, aged 15 years, 9 months and 16 days, becoming one of the youngest players ever to appear for Barcelona.
The alternatives refer to other famous football academies: Carrington is associated with Manchester United, Clairefontaine with France’s national training system, and La Fábrica with Real Madrid. La Masia is Barcelona’s academy and is particularly associated with producing players such as Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta.