Still deep in an economic crisis that's relegated Barcelona from soccer's aristocracy for the better part of a decade, turning one of the sport's Goliath's into a European laughing stock, Hansi Flick's arrival has yielded immediate success due in large part to his heavy reliance on the club's strongest pillar: La Masia.
Barcelona's academy has long been regarded as one of if not the greatest talent factory in the sport. It's been a decade and a half since Pep Guardiola—a La Masia product himself—led a Barcelona team that dominated Europe with the majority of its players being homegrown. Its impact on the sport was so strong that La Masia was also the foundation of a Spanish nationalteam that won two European Cups and a FIFA World Cup between 2008–2012.
