Barcelona Are Opening 20 Academies in the USA to Find the 'American Lionel Messi'

Barcelona are going to the United States to find the future of football.

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Barcelona are going to the United States to find the future of football.

The European Champions have announced that they'll be opening 20 'soccer schools' throughout the USA in the coming five months, with the first already existing in Florida as a replica of their famed 'La Masia' academy.

In a statement released via the club's official site, Barcelona have said:

"The Board has approved two agreements for the creation of FCBEscola campuses in the United States and Japan. For the United States, it is an agreement that will 20 campuses across the nation including Orlando, Miami, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and Kansas, between March and August this year."

Barcelona's La Masia academy has produced the likes of Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola.

Children between the ages of six and 14 will be able to train at the USA schools, where they'll be taught football that's in line with Barcelona's philosophy of attractive and technical football.

With European clubs already taking to the USA each and every summer for pre-season tours and the popularity of the sport in the country growing, it's a natural next step to source its talent, too.

[via Bleacher Report]

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