The wonderful story of Samper's Barça journey

The wonderful story of Samper's Barça journey

In a club where only the lucky are chosen to join the first team, the case of Sergi Samper isn't easy to explain.

The extreme competitiveness that exists within Barça in addition to summer recruits each year makes it practically impossible for youth team players to make the next step in their careers.

For their part, the Blaugrana have always looked to find the best talent across the world and possess the financial power to go out and get these players if necessary. 

And it's precisely for this reason that Samper's contract renewal and inclusion in Luis Enrique's squad is a more meritorious achievement than most Barça youngsters - after all, the 21-year-old is the first player in the club's history to reach the first team having featured for every squad in the youth set-up.

Samper's story, however, could've been so different during his early years. At the age of six, his grandfather Jordi didn't want to enrol Samper in Barça's academy. At that time, what he preferred for Samper was tennis, and he practiced every evening at the Club Tennis Barcino.

As a result, Samper missed the cut with the Blaugrana and the future that lay ahead had been altered by a significant setback.

Football still wasn't a dream for him, it was just another sport, but his mindset soon began to change as he finally joined Barça's academy and acknowledged that football was no longer a game. He knew it more than anyone when he saw Jon Toral and Hector Bellerin - two of his best friends - leave the club in favour of a move to Arsenal.

The Barcelona native refused several tempting offers himself to leave Catalonia and remained with the club, gritting his teeth to keep improving and developing.

After three years with Barça B and the never-ending battle to reach the promise land, Samper's perseverance will soon be rewarded when he signs his contract extension until 2020 in the coming days.

Samper must still pass the final step that has seen many names fall in the past after making their breakthroughs from the youth teams, and now the focus switches to a squad whose mentality only accepts winning and success.