Barca president Laporta hails ‘extraordinary’ World Cup final stacked with La Masia talent

Barcelona president Joan Laporta says he feels “enormous pride” that eight Barcelona players will feature in the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina – a showpiece he believes doubles as a celebration of the club’s famed La Masia academy.

Barcelona’s imprint on Spain v Argentina

Laporta has travelled to New York for Sunday’s final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where Spain – with eight Barcelona players in their squad – face an Argentina side led by Lionel Messi.

Speaking to Catalan station RAC1 from Times Square in Manhattan, Laporta underlined how deeply Barcelona’s identity will be woven into the contest.

He said: “We are very proud because of the eight players we have. It is a very important match for them, and as president of the club I feel happy and grateful to have players with this level of talent.

“And at national team level, this is the best match that can be played, between two different styles.”

Laporta characterised the final as a clash of footballing philosophies: Argentina’s physical edge against Spain’s more collective, possession-based game – a style he directly linked to Barcelona.

“If the referee is strict, Spain will have a greater chance of winning the match,” he added. “Argentina are more aggressive, while the Spanish national team plays in a more collective way and with a style closer to Barcelona’s. Barcelona are the best, and everyone recognises that.”

Pride in Messi and the new generation

Laporta also expressed delight that Messi, the greatest player in Barcelona’s history, will again stand centre stage at a World Cup final – this time facing a Spain side driven by a new wave of La Masia graduates.

“Leo reached the final as well, and I am happy about that. He is the pride of La Masia,” Laporta said. “Messi is the past and the present, and Lamine Yamal is the present and the future. We are very happy to have our authentic style of play at Barcelona.

“And as president of the club, I feel proud because these two players came through the club.”

The Barcelona chief then listed a string of current and former academy products now influencing the biggest game in world football.

“If we add to them Juan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, who is having an amazing World Cup, and Dani Olmo, and Gavi, and Pedri, and Ferran Torres… this is something exceptional,” he said.

La Masia’s global showcase

For Laporta, the MetLife final is more than a meeting between Spain and Argentina; it is a global shop window for La Masia and the positional play that has defined Barcelona for decades.

The presence of established stars such as Messi, alongside emerging talents like 16-year-old winger Lamine Yamal and teenage defender Pau Cubarsi, underlines the continuity from one generation to the next that Laporta is keen to stress.

Barcelona’s academy has long been regarded as one of the sport’s most productive talent factories, producing figures such as Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Messi himself. The 2026 final, stacked with players schooled in the same philosophy, offers fresh evidence of that enduring influence.

As Spain and Argentina prepare for a final billed by Laporta as “the best match that can be played”, the Barcelona president will watch from the stands in New Jersey knowing that, whatever the result, the imprint of his club – and of La Masia – will be impossible to miss.