La Masia: the farmhouse that shaped a style

La Masia is, quite literally, a farmhouse: a stone building from 1702 that stands in the shadow of the Camp Nou. From 1979 it housed young players from outside Barcelona, who lived, studied and trained together under one roof.

A way of playing

What made the academy famous was not the building but the idea that every team, from the youngest to the first team, should play the same way: keep the ball, move it quickly, and press the moment it is lost. Children learned positions and passing angles before they learned to shoot hard.

In 2010 the three finalists for the Ballon d’Or, Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández, had all come through La Masia. It was the clearest proof that a club could build world-class players instead of buying them.

A new home

In 2011 the residence moved to a modern building at the club’s training ground in Sant Joan Despí, named after the coach Oriol Tort. The old farmhouse remains a symbol, and a new generation of academy graduates keeps reaching the first team.