On August 29, the official Barcelona website published an article praising the young generation nurtured by the club's youth academy. In the La Liga Matchday 1 rescheduled game played early this morning, Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-0. According to statistics, this was the first time in Barcelona's history that its starting lineup featured 10 players born in the 2000s.

Xavi Espart, along with Yamal, Cubarsí, and Marc Bernal, became the fourth player born in 2007 to join the Barcelona first team.

La Masia has never stopped nurturing football talent. Since taking charge of Barcelona, Hans Flick has consistently demonstrated that prioritizing the youth academy system is an indispensable part of the team's identity. Under his coaching, many young players have made their first-team debuts, and many of them are now officially first-team players.

Currently, the Barcelona first team has four players born in 2007, and they are showing increasingly strong potential. In Barcelona's victory over Athletic Bilbao, all four of these players started and performed quite outstandingly. The performances of Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí, Marc Bernal, and Xavi Espart drew considerable attention.

The first to join the first team was Yamal. He was promoted by Xavi Hernández in the 2022/23 season and gradually established himself as a key player in the subsequent 2023/24 season. In the same season, Pau Cubarsí, at just 17 years old, also joined the first team and was once named Man of the Match in a Champions League game.

Subsequently, after Flick took charge, Marc Bernal got his opportunity. This young midfielder from Berga suffered a serious injury after making his first-team debut, sidelining him for over a year. However, Bernal has now recovered to his previous form and has become an important player for Barcelona again.

Now, it's Xavi Espart's turn to emerge.

This player from Vilassar de Mar, near Mataró, made his first-team debut at St. James' Park last season in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 against Newcastle United. Since then, Espart has gradually become a regular in Flick's squad and has earned La Liga appearances.

However, it was only recently that he truly gained widespread attention. This summer, he won the European Championship with the Spanish U19 national team, and his excellent performances in pre-season helped him officially establish himself as a Barcelona first-team player, earning the No. 12 jersey.

Xavi Espart: A Versatile Player

Espart initially made his first-team debut under Flick at right-back, and he played his first few matches at Camp Nou in this position.

However, this Catalan player possesses excellent positional flexibility. He can move forward to midfield as a central midfielder, a position he played in the Gamper Trophy; he can also play left-back, and he started at left-back in both of the first two La Liga matches this season.

This fully demonstrates Espart's strengths. Not only can he adapt to multiple positions, but no matter where he plays, he performs his duties quite naturally. It is this versatility that has made him a young player worth watching since joining Flick's team.

From La Masia Teammates to Barcelona's Young Guard

The rise of this group of 2007-born players in the first team is no coincidence. Lamine Yamal, Marc Bernal, Pau Cubarsí, and Xavi Espart have played together for many years.

In the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, the four played together in La Masia's U12B and U13A teams. They also worked with Arnau Blanco at that time, who has since become a member of Flick's coaching staff.

The four players' excellent performances began to emerge during their youth academy days. During that period, they helped their team win league titles. Yamal was particularly outstanding in attack and goalscoring, Cubarsí already showed the temperament of a defensive leader, Bernal took on midfield organization and ball distribution responsibilities, and Espart stood out with his versatility.

It can be said that they have demonstrated leadership and a winner's mentality since childhood, and now these qualities are being carried forward in Flick's first team.

In the 2025/26 season, these four players celebrated their first championship trophy with Barcelona's first team. Barcelona won La Liga prematurely after defeating Real Madrid 2-0 at Camp Nou, and they celebrated this important moment in their careers together.

Now, all four have officially registered for the first team, and they will train and compete side by side every day, striving for more championship trophies for Barcelona.

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