FCBARCELONA.CAT

06.05.2010 11:42

The highest scoring youth system

Jesús Carrillo

FC Barcelona stats for this year show that the youth products used by Pep Guardiola have scored 71% of the club’s league goals. No other elite club can boast a similar record.

Xavi Hernández, Bojan Krick, Andrés Iniesta, Jeffren Suárez, Gerard Piqué, Sergio Busquets and Thiago Alcántara are the 9 players that have scored this season, making a total of 93 of the 131 scored overall – totting up to a remarkable 71%.

Messi head and shoulders above the rest

The 31 league goals struck by FIFA World Player and Balon d’Or winner, Leo Messi, are an amazing achievement for somebody who is still only 22. That is the Argentine star’s best record ever, and not only is he likely to be the top scorer in Spain, but looks like he could be winning the Golden Boot award for the top scorer in all of Europe, and is also top scorer in the Champions League.

The ‘veterans’

Xavi Hernández, Carles Puyol and Andrés Iniesta also came up through the youth system. Puyol has scored once this season in the league, and Xavi has scored in three different competitons, the League (3), the Cup (1) and the UCL (2). Andrés Iniesta is currently injured, but did get a goal against Racing.

Young artillerymen

The new players include Bojan, with 10 goals (7 in the League, 2 in the cup and 1 in Europe) and Pedro Rodríguez. The revelation if this year’s campaign has set an unprecedented record by scoring in six different competitions. His 21 have included 10 in the League, 4 in the UCL, 3 in the Cup, 1 in each of the Super Cups and 2 in the Clubs World Cup.

Not forgetting defender Gerard Piqué, with 4 goals (2 in the League and 2 in Europe, both against Inter at the Camp Nou–) and Sergio Busquets, whose only goal this term was in Abu Dhabi, against Atlante of Mexico.

New resources

The debutants to be on target were Jeffren Suárez, with two league goals and Thiago Alcántara, who scored in the same competition.

So the players from La Masia have accumulated 93 goals. Barça have scored a total of 131 in all competitions, with the other goals all scored by foreign imports (Ibra, Alves, Henry, Keita, Touré Yaya and Márquez) along with a couple of own goals.