Learning to play the Barca way

At a prestigious soccer academy in Egypt, some 700 talented youngsters are learning to play the Barcelona way.

Located in October 6 city, near the capital Cairo, Barca Academy provides boys and girls aged between 6 and 18 with a comprehensive training and education environment.

It is the oldest of all Barcelona's international academies, having opened over a decade ago.

Pupils are taught using the same philosophy and methodology that has made the Catalan giant one of the greatest and most-revered teams in the world.

The technical management of the academy is entrusted to Leonel Delgado and Jaume Quintana.

"We teach the players the basic concepts of football in order for them to be able to deal successfully with sporting challenges in the future, while also teaching them the values that are so representative of FC Barcelona, which is respect, effort, ambition, teamwork and humility," Delgado said.

At the modern facility, which is located in an upscale neighborhood, the academy adheres to Barca's philosophy of playing a creative and attacking brand of soccer.

The technical management focuses on the comprehensive education of the players, passion for sport and transmission of the values represented by FC Barcelona in order to expand the club's brand, Delgado explained.

"The academy is meant to promote Barca values of becoming a universal brand and leaders in the sporting and human education of players," he told Xinhua.

The pupils will get the chance to put all they've learned into practice on the pitch when they compete in this year's Barca Academy World Cup in Spain.

"We are really happy with the talent of our players in Egypt," Delgado stressed as he watched a group of players warming up before a training session.

Fourteen-year-old Briton Joshua Harrott, who recently moved to Egypt with his family from Dubai, is relishing his time at the academy.

Finding a high-quality soccer school was a priority for his mother, and Barca Academy seemed the obvious choice.

"I just moved to Egypt recently...my mother was looking for a good place where I can train and play. I'm very happy that there is a Barca Academy in Egypt," the youngster told Xinhua.

He added that the training at the school is very professional, noting that he has learned much about soccer in a short period of time.

Egyptian Omer Ayman said he is not only learning to become a better soccer player but also to become a better person.

"I have been playing here for seven years now... the management really takes good care of teaching us the Barca way of playing and the club's values," the 12-year-old told Xinhua.

Barcelona's famed La Masia academy has produced many of the sport's greats in recent decades, including Argentine maestro Lionel Messi, Spanish playmakers Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez and Cesc Fabregas, and Spanish defenders Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol and Jordi Alba.

Xinhua