U19 team declared 2019/20 league champions
The FC Barcelona U19 team have been declared 2019/20 league champions after the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) ratified its decision to conclude all competitions as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
The side coached by Franc Artiga were two points clear of Zaragoza at the top of the table when the tournament was suspended after starting the season under Víctor Valdés, who was dismissed despite the team getting four wins and a draw. Under Artiga the team has gone 17-2-2, including an 11-match winning streak. The climb to the top oif the table has ultimately earned the champions trophy and a place in the UEFA Youth League 2020/21.
Season over
With the Champions Cup and the Copa del Rey also suspended due to the inability to offer sufficient guarantees of player safety, especially with so many players aged under 18, that effectively puts an early end to the U19 season.
The manager speaks
“We would much prefer to have won this on the pitch” said Artiga, winner of 10 leagues in his 11 years in charge of different age levels at the club. “Ourselves, Espanyol and Zaragoza were having incredible seasons, but there are more important things than football at the moment.
“But I was happy with the way the team developed each week. To win eleven consecutive games in such a difficult group shows just how solvent this team is.”
“Our goal was to develop players and we have sent several of them up to Barça B, not just to train but also to play games.”
Six players (Ilaix Moriba, Konrad de la Fuente, Gerard Fernández, Nils Mortimer, Antonio Jesús and Mika Mármol) all made their B team debuts this term. Gerard even scored in his first game, while Ilaix and Konrad have also found the net. Not forgetting Ansu Fati, a youth team player who has been dazzling the world with his displays for the Barça first team, but whose progress has been interrupted by the cursed Covid-19.
Six leagues in ten years
Garcia Pimienta thus adds this title to the one he achieved in 2017/18 after taking over from Gabri, who had won the league the previous 2016/17 season. Jordi Vinyals won back-to-back titles in 2012/13 and 2013/14, and Òscar Garcia was the victorious manager in 2010/11.