A standout talent from Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy has made headlines by rejecting a contract renewal.
La Masia, FC Barcelona’s youth academy, has historically provided a plethora of world-class talents to the first team, but not every talented player pledges their future to the Catalan giants.
One of the club’s brightest young forwards from the Juvenil A side is packing his bags for a new venture abroad.
The youth player in question has rejected an offer to renew his contract with Barcelona and is opting for a new challenge in the Serbian First Division, as reported by Diario Sport.
This process marks a considerable distance for the young striker who will be getting on the plane to continue his career away from the Blaugrana.
The player in question, Hugo Alba, is the 19-year-old captain of Barcelona’s Juvenil A side.
Alba was the joint top scorer in the UEFA Youth League this season and has reportedly signed a three-year contract with Serbian side OFK Belgrade.
OFK Belgrade is a club that is closely affiliated with Red Star Belgrade, which is one of the most distinguished names in Serbian football.
Alba ended the season with a remarkable total of 28 goals in 44 appearances for the youth side, however, he declined to extend his stay with the Catalan club.
Reports indicate Alba’s transfer is intended to be a loan after being first signed to Red Star, with OFK Belgrade acting as a stepping stone to gain experience in senior football.
Meaning, the move should see Alba get to develop further as a player, while also being on a clear potential path back to the top, if all goes well.
This transfer feels like an indictment of the challenge Barcelona has in keeping some of their best academy talents, when their offer is limited by financial constraints and competition from foreign offers.
For Alba, the move is to allow him to get experience in the first team on a new league, and potentially pave a concrete, albeit narrow, path back to the top, regardless of being from uthe nder side of the morass of European football.
As he signs with OFK Belgrade, the football world will wait to see how this bold move will play out.
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