Barcelona celebrates another talented teenager making a successful move from its La Masia academy

MADRID — Barcelona coach Xavi knows from his own experience that taking a chance on youngsters at the club’s famous La Masia soccer academy usually pays off.

Xavi himself was a member of the academy before becoming one of Barcelona’s — and Spain’s — greatest players.

He was an 18-year-old when given the chance to debut with the first team in a Spanish Super Cup game in 1998. The former midfielder scored in the match against Mallorca to kickstart his successful career.

So it’s no surprise that Xavi hasn’t been afraid to give opportunities to the current generation of La Masia players. The latest to get his chance was 17-year-old Marc Guiu, who on Sunday came on late in the second half and scored about 30 seconds into his debut to give Barcelona a 1-0 win against Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish league.

At 17 years, 291 days, Guiu became the youngest Barcelona player to score in his debut with the club.

“I don’t have a problem with looking at our talent at home,” Xavi said. “On the contrary, we only need to give them confidence, just like it happened to me when I was 17 or 18 years old. When we see that a young player is ready, we just send him out onto the field.”

Xavi this year had already taken a chance with 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, who debuted in April. Before the international break, Yamal became the youngest-ever player to score in the Spanish league. Yamal now is a regular starter for Barcelona and was called up for Spain’s national team.

Other young players given opportunities by the club recently have included Alejandro Balde, Marc Casadó and Fermín López. Barcelona had already bet on teenagers such as Pedri and Gavi, who now are regular starters both for Barcelona and the Spanish national…