Manchester City are looking to rival Arsenal for Barcelona’s wonderkid, Roberto Navarro. The 15-year-old is one of the most highly rated prospects in the La Masia academy and will be eligible for a transfer after his next birthday.
Navarro, also called Robertinho plays for the Cadete A team and is not Portuguese or Brazilian. He was born in the Barcelona itself and was brought up in Tajonar. His athletic career primarily was focused towards tennis but later got shifted to football. Navarro’s father was not too keen on seeing his son pick up the ball with his feet instead of a racket.
But the 15-year-old got noticed by a teacher who took him to Osasuna for a trial. Navarro impressed the scouts and was signed up immediately. He even got to feature for the more advanced age group and later earned himself a call-up to Barca’s Alevin A team.
The teenager initially struggled to adjust to life at Catalonia based club being forced to reside with his grandparents and feeling homesick majority of the time. But he did overcome the obstacles and is currently in his 5th year with the La Masia, in touching distance with his dream of being a professional football.
However, the transfer to Arsenal does not necessarily guarantee that ambition altogether. It would be key for Robertinho to keep playing in the system he has developed in for so many years, one which is among the best in Europe.
We have seen a plethora of young talents come out of the Barcelona ranks and find a place for themselves in one of the top leagues in the continent. The club has just signed highly-rated youngsters like Yerry Mina, Arthur Melo and Vitinho into the club and are already planning to further the talent pool next summer.
In the midst of all the noise surrounding the La Liga giants, if there is one thing Robertinho should aim for is to finish his youth career with the side and look for early first-team opportunities afterwards.
The Arsenal youth system is one of Arsene Wenger’s primary concerns as well, similar to that of Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. Hector Bellerin is one of the greatest success stories to have hailed from the youth ranks of both Barcelona and Arsenal.
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The 23-year-old has been a first-team regular ever since Bacary Sagna departed the Emirates and Navaro could hope for a similar path.
