Giulia Dragoni, 16, made her FIFA Women’s World Cup debut as Italy beat Argentina. The young player is part of Barcelona’s new strategy, in which the prestigious La Masia academy plays a big role.
Italy’s starting line-up featured one of the most promising players of the future. 16-year-old Giulia Dragoni played the majority of the match as Italy beat Argentina 1–0 in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
– I didn’t think I would play immediately. I found out (about the place in the starting line-up) at the last minute. But with the support of my teammates, I got a good feeling and relaxed. They said: ‘play the way you always play, in your own way and you’ll be fine,'” Dragoni told the Italian Football Federation after the match.
Dragoni was the first foreigner at the Spanish FC Barcelona’s open football academy in La Masia. Sports expert Jonne Kunnas says that Dragon’s nickname “Little Messi” probably reflects the quality of the player quite a lot.
– He is a midfielder who plays between the lines, who controls the ball exceptionally well and dynamically changes the rhythm of the ball’s transport. Dragoni is a model example of a versatile player, the kind needed in the demands of modern football.
The Italian’s nickname refers to one of the greatest footballers of all time, the Argentine to Lionel Messiwhich rose to the top just from La Masia.
La Masia opened its doors to female soccer players in August 2021. Kunnas estimates that Barcelona has changed its entire strategy in building the team, as it now recruits promising young people from all over Europe.
Although Dragoni was the first foreign player, he will not be the last. The Italian joined La Masia in January, but he was followed by three other foreigners: Emilia Szymczak (Poland), Martine Fenger (Norway) and Onyeka Gamero (United States).
– This is how the club confirms its decision to open its academy to talented young players who are part of the identity of the future of Blaugrana women’s football, Barcelona solemnly declared in its announcement.
Academy acquisitions reflect a change
According to Kunnas, Barcelona’s change reflects a breakthrough in which women are moving in the direction of the world of men’s football. Players are acquired even before the supposed peak age. Attempts are being made to commit younger and younger players to the club earlier. There are two sides to it.
– The player has sales potential even in the future. In addition, the club will get a promising player cheaply.
Transfer fees for so-called ready-made players have increased, although not yet explosively. There were indications of the competition in the player market Alessia Russo when the London club Arsenal paid Manchester United nearly 585,000 euros in transfer compensation for Russo.
– Barcelona must have changed their approach with the increase in transfer fees. I claim that other big clubs around Europe will follow suit, says Kunnas.
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Kunnas believes that the contract structures of female players will change as the compensations paid increase. Clubs want to secure players with longer contracts so that players don’t repeatedly move on free transfers.
For example, England Lucy Bronze and Norway Caroline Graham Hansen have moved to Barcelona without a transfer fee.
– I think we are now at a turning point. In addition, the umbrella organizations play a big role in the development of the breeder’s money, so that the breeder’s clubs would receive compensation.
French side Lyon has dominated European women’s football in the 2010s. Kunnas says that Lyon was one of the first clubs that built such a good framework that they were able to assemble even a superior team.
Now Barcelona is the reigning champion of the Champions League and reached the final for the third time in a row in the season that ended. Is Barcelona running away from other European clubs?
– I don’t think that Barcelona will go on an extravagant run away. There are several clubs that are involved in this competition. Barcelona are in an excellent position and they are adjusting their own strategy – as they should. But the clubs in England, France and Germany will certainly develop their methods of operation, Kunnas estimates.
The breeder’s allowance is the compensation that the player’s breeder clubs receive from the transfer. The training allowance is paid for the player’s first professional contract and for each transfer until the end of the season when the player turns 23.
The training allowance is paid to clubs that the player has represented between the ages of 12 and 23. Breeder clubs receive compensation, even if the player changes clubs with a free transfer.
However, it is only available for boys and men. For girls and women, all free transfers take place without compensation, and breeder associations do not receive money.
– This model has been built like Isaac’s church, but I feel that it is more important for European clubs than for other continents. They haven’t necessarily found the topic so critical, says Urheilu’s expert Heidi Pihlaja.
Pihlaja is the development manager of the Football Association. According to him, the discussion is, among other things, about what the model would be like in the end.
– Some of the country associations feel that the clubs do not yet have enough money to pay the breeder’s allowance. Some of the clubs, on the other hand, feel that it’s not worth growing players if you don’t get compensation for it.
When for example I am Sevenius moved from the Helsinki Football Club to the Italian AC Milan, compensations were not paid to Sevenius’ breeding clubs. If AC Oulu Take the Glue leaves the club, he may be paid up to a six-figure sum, even if it is a free transfer.
– Of course, it is not realistic that the child support allowances would immediately be at the same level as on the men’s side. But for the Nordic countries, for example, which are strong breeding countries, it would be of the utmost importance that a model that is fair to the clubs is finally introduced, says Pihlaja.
More on the topic: fifa.com, offthepitch.comEPN.fi