The 11 from La Masia

The 11 from La Masia is a historic football match played at the City of Valencia Stadium on 25 November 2012 in which FC Barcelona fielded at the same time eleven players nurtured in their own La Masia talent development facility. The team faced Levante UD in the twelfth round of La Liga and won the match 0-4.
The 11 players brought up at La Masia included Victor Valdes, Martin Montoya, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas, Pedro Rodriguez, Lionel Messi and Cristian Tello .
The match was a milestone in FC Barcelona's history as it was the first time a team fielded at the same time eleven players nurtured in the club's talent development facility in an official match. La Masia has been a fundamental part of FC Barcelona's football culture and has produced many world-class players, such as Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.
The 11 from La Masia are an example of FC Barcelona's commitment to developing young talent and their unique style of play based on ball control and possession. The match has been remembered as a historic event in the club's long tradition and as a tribute to the players who have been brought up at La Masia.
Antecedents
FC Barcelona is a football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, founded in 1899. The club is known for its successful history and its characteristic style of play based on ball control and short passing. One of the club's success factors is its La Masia youth academy, which has produced many of the world's best players.
On November 25, 2012, FC Barcelona moved to Valence to face Levante UD in a league match in La Liga. This was an important match for the club, which had already established itself as one of the top clubs in the world. Ahead of the match, FC Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova decided to use a unique tactic by fielding eleven players who had trained and developed at the club's La Masia youth academy.
This was the first time in FC Barcelona's history that the club used such tactics in an official match. The starting XI consisted of goalkeeper Victor Valdes, defenders Martin Montoya, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol and Jordi Alba, midfielders Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas, and forwards Pedro Rodriguez, Lionel Messi and Cristian Tello.
The match, which was also called "Los 11 de La Masia", became a historic event for FC Barcelona and its youth academy. This is proof of the club's successful work in developing and promoting young talent. The club's ability to cultivate youth academy talent is vital to its success and to maintaining its identity as a club that plays a beautiful and attractive game of football.
Chronicle
FC Barcelona made history on 25 November 2012 by fielding, for the first time in the club's history, a complete starting XI of players trained at their academy, La Masia, in an official match. The match was played at Camp Nou against Levante UD in the tenth round of the Spanish league.
The team was led by coach Tito Vilanova and consisted of Victor Valdes in goal, defenders Martin Montoya, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol and Jordi Alba. The midfield consisted of Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas while the attacking trio consisted of Pedro Rodriguez, Lionel Messi and Cristian Tello.
From the first minute, Barca dominated the match with their characteristic possession and constant movement, and Levante UD had few chances to create danger in Valde's goal. Although Barca struggled to break through the opposition's defense in the opening minutes, Messi had a good opportunity in the 17th minute after a pass from Pedro, but his shot was blocked by the Levante goalkeeper.
Finally, Barca managed to open the scoring in the 26th minute through a goal by Cesc Fabregas, who capitalized on a pass from Messi to slot the ball into the goal from inside the penalty area. After that, Barca started to dominate the game and Messi increased the lead in the 43rd minute after a pass from Xavi.
In the second half, Barca kept control of the match and extended their lead in the goals tally through two more goals by Cristian Tello in the 55th and 58th minutes. Levante UD tried to close the gap, but Barca maintained possession and control of the game until the end, resulting in a historic 4-0 win.
Players
Portfolio: Victor Valdes
Defence: Martin Montoya, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Jordi Alba
Midfield: Sergio Busquets, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas
Strikers: Pedro Rodriguez, Lionel Messi and Cristian Tello.
Levante UD:
Portfolio: Gustavo Munua
Defense: Pedro Lopez, Sergio Ballesteros, David Navarro, Juanfran Garcia
Midfield: Iborra, Michel, Ruben Garcia, Juanlu Gomez, Vicente Iborra
Striker: Jose Javier Barkero.
Reaction and meaning
After the match between The 11 from La Masia and Levante UD on 25 November 2012, the press praised the performance of FC Barcelona and especially their youth academy, La Masia. This was the first time in the club's history that an entire starting eleven consisted of own products, which was a big step forward for the club's philosophy and youth activities.
Sports journalists particularly praised Lionel Messi's performance on the pitch, where he showed his class and skill by creating several scoring chances and scoring a goal himself. Midfielder Cesc Fabregas was also praised for his goal and his contributing role in the game.
Several football experts also commented on how important it is for clubs to have a strong youth operation, stressing that Barcelona's success was not only due to individual performances, but to the club's long-term philosophy.
Both coach Tito Vilanova and the players were humbled by the victory and stressed the importance of continuing to work hard and improve the team. This was an important victory for FC Barcelona and proof that their youth operation was one of the best in the world.
After the match, fans showed their support and love for the club through social media and other platforms. This was an important day in Barcelona's history and a testament to their strength as a club and as a team.
Aftermath
The match The 11 from La Masia was one of the most significant matches in the history of FC Barcelona. Not only did the club present a starting eleven made up of players developed in the club's youth academy, but also showed that these players were fully capable of playing at the highest level of professional football.
The match marked the beginning of an era where La Masia-produced players became the core of Barcelona's dominance of Spanish and European football. In the following years, players such as Sergi Roberto, Marc Bartra and Rafinha Alcantara became important members of the first team.
By successfully integrating the youth academy with the first team, FC Barcelona has created a model for club development that has inspired other football clubs around the world. The 11 from La Masia will always be a reminder of Barcelona's pride in its academic tradition and the club's ability to produce some of the best footballers in the world.
10 year anniversary
In 2022, FC Barcelona held a tribute event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The 11 from La Masia. During the event, highlights from the match were shown and former players and coaches were interviewed about their memories of the historic event. Players who took part in the match were also invited to celebrate the anniversary and meet the fans.
As well as paying tribute to the match and the players who took part in it, the club also used the occasion to emphasize the importance of their youth academy and their commitment to training young talent. The event also showed how players who debuted at the club as youngsters still play an important role in today's teams and how their success has inspired other young players to follow in their footsteps.
References
FC Barcelona
La Liga