From June 30th, La Masia has ceased housing the young sportsmen who are being trained to become a part of the Club’s professional teams. In a simple, but emotionally charged ceremony, the doors were today closed on La Masia.
At twelve noon today, La Masia closed its doors for the last time as a home for up and coming youngsters, after 32 years. Club sporting vice president Josep Maria Bartomeu, football academy director Jordi Mestre, the director of La Masia, Carles Folguera and the professional football director and ex-resident at La Masia Guillermo Amor took charge of the official closing, with the new Centre de Formació Oriol Tort at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper taking over the function of a residential centre for the youngsters from tomorrow. The 16 trophies won this season were displayed at the front door of the building for the ceremony, attended by a large number of reporters.
Emblematic space
“This is a symbolic act as we close the old Masia. We are moving and La Masia has had the success it has had – today we are proud to show the 16 titles we have won this season and the graduates of La Masia have had a lot to do with that success”, explained Sr, Bartomeu.
Sporting success –but educating people too
Jordi Mestre insisted on the importance of the titles which the Club’s youth teams have won this year: “between the various youth and children’s teams, together with the women’s football team, we have won 19 titles. We should also stress the importance of the B team and even though they didn’t win any title, to come third in the Segona A is just as good”.
Mestre also stressed that titles weren’t the only way to measure success: “for us, the most important thing is when one of our youngsters gets into the first team. We also place great value on the fact that both the first team and the B team have won the Fair Play award”. There was also thanks and recognition for the work of the various coaches and trainers: “our mission is to educate players and people. We have to be a competitive club, but we don’t want to win at any price”, according to Sr Mestre.
Values remain the same
This was a particularly emotive moment for two of the men at the ceremony - Carles Folguera and Guillermo Amor. The Director of La Masia is convinced that the success of the institution will continue in its new home at the Ciutat Esportiva: “we are very excited about the move. We are moving to a residential home which will be an example to the whole world because of the great possibilities it offers. It’ll mean an improvement in organising things, with the medical services which are in the Ciutat Esportiva and with the increased number of places we will be able to offer”, explained Sr Folguera. There may be a change in location, but Sr Folguera insisted: “we will continue with the same ideas and those of us at La Masia are very committed - we will be a much more important reference point for the professional teams with the bigger residence. We will be very happy if we can match success with helping to form excellent people too”.
Both Folguera and Guillermo Amor, who was one of the first residents at the Masia in 1980, thanked the then board for the decision to set up the residence. Amor also explained: “I’m more nervous now than I was when I first came in 1980. This is not an easy day. This wasn’t just a residential sporting centre for me –it was like a home. We’ll have a great new centre and we have to make sure we take the family atmosphere there with us. Naming it after Oriol Tort is a good start”.
Emblematic space
“This is a symbolic act as we close the old Masia. We are moving and La Masia has had the success it has had – today we are proud to show the 16 titles we have won this season and the graduates of La Masia have had a lot to do with that success”, explained Sr, Bartomeu.
Sporting success –but educating people too
Jordi Mestre insisted on the importance of the titles which the Club’s youth teams have won this year: “between the various youth and children’s teams, together with the women’s football team, we have won 19 titles. We should also stress the importance of the B team and even though they didn’t win any title, to come third in the Segona A is just as good”.
Mestre also stressed that titles weren’t the only way to measure success: “for us, the most important thing is when one of our youngsters gets into the first team. We also place great value on the fact that both the first team and the B team have won the Fair Play award”. There was also thanks and recognition for the work of the various coaches and trainers: “our mission is to educate players and people. We have to be a competitive club, but we don’t want to win at any price”, according to Sr Mestre. Values remain the same
This was a particularly emotive moment for two of the men at the ceremony - Carles Folguera and Guillermo Amor. The Director of La Masia is convinced that the success of the institution will continue in its new home at the Ciutat Esportiva: “we are very excited about the move. We are moving to a residential home which will be an example to the whole world because of the great possibilities it offers. It’ll mean an improvement in organising things, with the medical services which are in the Ciutat Esportiva and with the increased number of places we will be able to offer”, explained Sr Folguera. There may be a change in location, but Sr Folguera insisted: “we will continue with the same ideas and those of us at La Masia are very committed - we will be a much more important reference point for the professional teams with the bigger residence. We will be very happy if we can match success with helping to form excellent people too”.
Both Folguera and Guillermo Amor, who was one of the first residents at the Masia in 1980, thanked the then board for the decision to set up the residence. Amor also explained: “I’m more nervous now than I was when I first came in 1980. This is not an easy day. This wasn’t just a residential sporting centre for me –it was like a home. We’ll have a great new centre and we have to make sure we take the family atmosphere there with us. Naming it after Oriol Tort is a good start”.
Asked about any possible summer signings at the Club, such as Cesc Fàbregas and Alexis Sánchez: “they are two players of a very high quality, both as individuals and as part of a collective. If they come, it will mean a big leap in quality”. 
It’s every sportsman’s dream to play in an Olympic Games, where the best of every discipline come together to compete in a fantastic spectacle that is the focus of the whole world’s attention. Only five of Barça’s first team squad – including the boss -have ever had that wonderful experience. 
It was a difficult summer in 2008, but it ended happily with Leo Messi finally returning from the Beijing Olympics with a gold medal after the Argentinean team, which included Javier Mascherano beat Nigeria in the final thanks to a Di Maria goal set up by Messi himself. 
Messi appeared in 55 of the 62 Barça matches this season. He always wants to play and he’s getting his wish this year. It was in the 2009/10 season that he played 64 matches, 53 for FC Barcelona, and in the treble winning year he played 60 matches, 51 for Barcelona. 
Ex Barça player Goran Vucevic was coach at the club for a large slice of last season. He left Hadjuk in 1992 to sign for Barça, but he struggled at the Club and was transferred to Porto as part of the deal which brought Victor Baia to the Camp Nou. 
Iniesta will be back in training for the 2011-12 season on July 18th, but he is still happy to sit back and look over the astonishing last 12 months he’s enjoyed, commenting: “Since the World Cup, it’s been a very good year, very beautiful and very special, in which we’ve again won many titles. What’s more, I’ve won the best title –I’m a father to a little girl”. Iniesta also added: “it’ll be hard to match it next year –but we will try”. 
There was a full house at the Pedro Delgado Hall and Barça needed to be at their best to silence the noisy home crowd, who showed their support for their team from the off and the Segovia players reacted with a great start, dominating the visitors and through Lozano, Esquerdinha and Mati they created plenty of danger. It was all built on some individual bursts and counter attacks though and soon Barça Alusports were able to impose their passing game and find spaces to threaten the hosts’ goal. 
Barça finally got their just deserts for their dominance when Fernandão hit a scorcher past Cidão and after Wilde had again hit the woodwork, Igor and Javi Rodriguez connected well and Cidão’s mistake handed Igor the second to send the visitors in 1-2 at the break. 
Guardiola said little about techniques or tactics, limiting himself to saying “the most important thing is to win and all styles are good for winning. I know what style I want and want to transmit. I’m a fan of attacking football because of the way I was trained and I believe a lot in talent in hard work.” He certainly managed to keep his word.