La Masia forges talent and friendships

Lamine Yamal and Vicky López both won the Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, cementing La Masia's reputation for developing young talent.

Barcelona's large delegation at the Ballon d'Or gala at London Palladium included players from both the men's and women's sides. Lamine Yamal, 19, and Vicky López, 20, both received the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the most promising players in the world for the second consecutive year.

The two players forged a friendship at La Masia, Barcelona's youth academy residence. Yamal joined the Centre de Formació Oriol Tort at age 12, while López arrived at 16 after signing with Barcelona alongside Lucía Corrales and Giulia Dragoni. Around 100 athletes from various disciplines live in the residence, creating a family-like environment away from home. "You live there, you have tutors guiding you, there are schedules... They form you, educate you, and the most special thing is that you share your day-to-day with children of many ages and grow with them," López explained.

The residence houses players across different levels, from academy prospects to first-team players. This season, nine Barcelona Atlètic players live there, while the women's programme has 19 reserved places as the club expands facilities to accommodate female players with potential.