Barcelona Goes Scout Hunting in Columbia
Recently, Barcelona embarked on another leg of its journey to find more recruits, but now in Columbia as they scan around the U-17 Championship. This tournament, ongoing for a month already, attracts big eyes from all around the world. In previous years it brought in scouts from major European and South American teams. Just like Real Madrid looking to attract players for their offense, this is just another tactic by Barcelona to find more world-class players and to remain proactive in identifying promising individuals at an early stage.
This is not the first time Barcelona has sent scouts to South America. On three previous occasions, Barcelona has attempted to find world-class talent at key youth competitions. Back in January, Barcelona scouts were dispatched to Copa São Paulo de Juniores, famously known as the Copinha. Crucially, this was among the most prestigious and competitive youth competitions in Brazil and a consistent stepping stone for many currently renowned soccer players. Coincidentally, this year’s recruiting coincided directly and as such, the schedule was driven to adjustment due to the Club World Cup break and also so scouts could travel to Venezuela to observe the U-20 Championship.
As with every year, the competition is fierce to capture the scouts’ attention. Starting in the Colombian cities of Montería and Cartagena, some clubs in those regions are already beginning to act upon strategic moves. Such would be Ecuadorian talent Lerma being sold by Independiente del Valle to Borussia Dortmund in 2024 for €4 million which clearly demonstrated the capacity to which clubs take swift action in their pursuit of future star players. During Barcelona’s time scouting in Colombia, there were some reported finds to bring back home. Specifically, Colombian striker Neiser Villarreal– who finished as top scorer– was extended an invitation to Barcelona. Evidently there were other South American players who caught the eyes of recruiters– non-exclusive to Barcelona. Manchester City scouts appeared at the championship as well and were highly impressed by Claudio Echeverri who later joined the Manchester City team. Other fellow players who ran in the ring of interest for a bit did not meet expectations, falling slightly behind the standout performances of their peers.
