Messi praises Flick's young guns as Barcelona visits Celta without Yamal

BARCELONA, Spain — Hansi Flick has Barcelona clicking again, and the best player in the club’s history has taken notice.

Lionel Messi praised Flick’s willingness to give Barcelona's youth players chances to play. That bet has paid off handsomely and invigorated a Barcelona side that is playing its best soccer since Messi's tearful exit three years ago.

“It makes me proud to see how the team is represented now. This Barça is spectacular,” Messi said in an interview with Catalan television TV3 on Friday.

Messi and other members of his great Barcelona team like Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández were themselves products of the club’s famed training system. Lamine Yamal now leads a new group of products of La Masia academy.

“This happened when I arrived at the club at age 13,” Messi said. “I think it is great that these kids have had these chances over the past couple of years. When you give them the opportunity and show them confidence, they respond in this fashion because they know the club better than anyone and know how the team wants to play. Good things are happening just like with the previous generation.”

Xavi, Flick’s predecessor until he was fired last season, was the first to tap into this rich new vein of budding talent by giving starts to Yamal when he was just 15. Xavi also opened the door for defender Pau Cubarsí and midfielder Fermín López to join the senior squad.

Flick has continued along that same path despite being a complete newcomer to the club.

Instead of pressing the club to sign a holding midfielder upon his arrival, the German manager took several youth players on Barcelona's pre-season summer tour. From that experience he found Marc Bernal, who played well at the holding position until he ruptured his ACL after just three games.

Then Flick dug deeper and found a true gem in Marc Casadó, who has taken the position by storm and recently earned his Spain debut. It total Flick has given four youth players their debuts in his first three months with the club.

Casadó was one of six players under the age of 22 who started for Barcelona, led by 17-year-olds Yamal and Cubarsí, in two recent wins over Real Madrid (4-0) and Bayern Munich (4-1).

“It’s an honor that the best player here from Barça in the history says this and that he follows how the team is playing and how the young players are doing,” Flick said about Messi’s comments. “You see his whole heart is with this club and it means a lot for us and this team.”

Barcelona visits Celta Vigo on Saturday leading the Spanish league by six points over Madrid.

Yamal will miss the Celta match due to a right-ankle injury that also ruled him out for Spain during last week's international break. Barcelona lost 1-0 at Real Sociedad in its last game, with Yamal already sidelined with the ankle issue.

Flick said they don't want to rush their new star back too early.

“Lamine is very important for us, but we have to adapt and we have players who can play for him,” Flick said. “When is back it is important that he is 100%.”