Sports solidity: a squad with a future and identity
When the Board of Directors, led by Joan Laporta, took over management of the Club in 2021, the men's first team was undergoing a turning point. Key players trained at La Masia had already accumulated long and successful careers at the highest level, and it was necessary to begin a gradual renewal of the squad. Furthermore, the Club was constrained by a very demanding salary structure and limited investment capacity, which posed a significant challenge: rebuilding a competitive team while maintaining the identity and values of Barça's DNA.
A delicate starting point
The 2020/21 season marked the end of a sporting cycle. Key players trained at La Masia, such as Leo Messi (33), Gerard Piqué (33), Sergio Busquets (31), and Jordi Alba (31), were in the final stages of their respective careers, following a successful career. At the same time, the club's sports wage bill had reached €616 million, equivalent to 98% of the club's recurring revenue, a clearly unsustainable proportion. The market value of the squad had fallen to €814 million, partly due to the difficulty of obtaining sporting and financial returns from some recent signings. At the same time, the Squad Cost Limit set by LaLiga that summer was €383 million, well below the club's actual spending level. Net equity was in a negative position, with a deficit of -€451 million, and the conditions for making transfers or reinforcing the squad were very limited. In this context, Messi's departure in August 2021 symbolized the end of an extraordinary period and marked the turning point for initiating a process of profound renewal.
A forward-Looking response
Faced with this scenario, the Club launched a sporting strategy focused on three main lines:
- Committing to a new generation of players trained at La Masia.
- Ensuring the financial sustainability of the squad.
- Increasing the team's sporting and heritage value.
The results of this commitment have not been long in coming. Today, FC Barcelona presents a young, competitive, and promising first team, which has regained its sporting leadership and is once again competing for all titles with ambition and its own identity.
A young Squad with high market value
The current first team structure has been built with a new generation of homegrown players, who not only earn playing time, but also bring value and commitment to the project. Of the 18 players with the most minutes played, more than half are players trained at La Masia, many of them under 22 years old:
- Lamine Yamal (17 years old) – €180 million
- Gavi (20 years old) – €80 million
- Cubarsí (18 years old) – €70 million
- Balde (21 years old) – €50 million
- Fermín (21 years old) – €50 million
- Casadó (21 years old) – €30 million
- Héctor Fort (18 years old) – €10 million
- Marc Bernal (17 years old) – €5 million
This group is joined by other young players with proven performances such as Dani Olmo (26 years old, €60 million), Araujo (26 years old, €55 million), and Eric Garcia (24 years old, €18 million). The result is a team with a Blaugrana identity, ambition, and experience.
More value with less investment
FC Barcelona's commitment to sporting sustainability has also been clearly reflected in the figures. Between the 2021/22 and 2024/25 seasons, the Club has made a net investment in signings of just €43 million, a figure much lower than the €245 million invested between 2017/18 and 2020/21. Despite this restraint, the current market value of the squad has increased by 24%, reaching €1.01 billion, well above the €814 million the squad recorded just three years ago. All of this has been achieved without taking into account offers well above market value, such as the €250 million offer for Lamine Yamal, which the Club rejected.
At the same time, the club's sports salary bill has been reduced by 15%, which has allowed it to maintain the team's competitive performance and strengthen compliance with Financial Fair Play.
A sporting project with identity and ambition
FC Barcelona's sporting strength today is the result of a clear, shared strategy aligned with the Club's values: confidence in its own talent, sustainability in management, and competitiveness at the highest level. The men's first team once again looks to Europe, not only with the excitement of the present, but with the conviction that the foundation for building the future is already a reality.
*The indicated market values come from specialized portals such as the one on Transfermarkt and are indicative, since the real value of a player may vary depending on multiple sporting, contractual and market factors.