China set to have a football academy worth 8.5 million USD on the tropical island of Hainan as the country works towards becoming a football powerhouse.
According to the Guardian, the football academy is modeled after one of the world’s celebrated football academy, Barcelona’s La Masia.
The $8.5m boarding school is a product of a partnership between the Spanish football club and a Hong Kong developer. The academy will feature seven pitches and will have a capacity to host 1,000 children aged between 6 years and 18. Ronaldinho, the former Brazil and Barcelona star is said to be among its expected teaching staff.
Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, told the Hainan Daily he hoped China’s answer to La Masia would boost its campaign to become “a football powerhouse” by spawning a new generation of Chinese superstars.
“More and more European players have come to play in the Chinese Super League, but by improving youth training, hopefully we can have more homegrown talent playing in the Super League and even European leagues,” Bartomeu was quoted as saying by the Chinese magazine Caixin.
The Barcelona-backed soccer academy is expected to be launched this summer in Haikou, capital of South China’s island province of Hainan.
The Haikou facility will be Barcelona’s 26th overseas academy. Founded in 1979, La Masia, the club’s youth academy, has spawned dozens of star players, including the three finalists for the 2010 Ballon d’Or: Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi.
” I’m sure we will see a graduate from our Haikou academy playing for Barcelona in the future.” Said Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu
Chinese President Xi Jinping has championed plans to revolutionize China’s weak national game with efforts afoot to create 50,000 football schools by 2025.
