Much of it is the success of Barcelona, which is packed with La Masia graduates.
Despite this, La Masia is of course the ideal place for a young player to come.
For all the romanticism of La Masia, its coaches aren't modern day alchemists.
If you're going to count them as La Masia products, you can't really count Pedro, Puyol and Busquets, as well.
No structure in soccer has received as much hype in recent years as La Masia, the catch-all term for Barcelona's youth academy.
Two of the most illustrious La Masia alumni fall into this category.
Pedro is often referred to as a La Masia product, but he joined at 17, as did Puyol and defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets.
Contrary to what some believe, it's not as straightforward as a 10-year-old prodigy walking into La Masia and emerging eight years later as a full-fledged superstar.
Scouted from across Spain, the 60 young players who live at La Masia play surprisingly little football - just over one and a half hours per day.
You could argue that, after Barcelona's vaunted La Masia youth academy, Arsenal is its biggest source of talent, having dispatched seven players to the Camp Nou in that time.
As a youngster Vilanova was at Barcelona's youth academy -- La Masia -- with Guardiola, though unlike the former Barca captain he failed to graduate to the first team.
Instead, there is a heightened emphasis on school work, with players expected to attend extra classes with tutors at La Masia once they return to the centre after a day at school.
Seven of the 11 players who beat Manchester United in last season's Champions League final came through La Masia, and if an injury hadn't cost Carles Puyol his starting spot, that number would have been eight.
"Here is where the stars all started, " added Folguera, throwing a proud glance at photographs of some of the most illustrious years to have graduated from La Masia: one includes Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina with Xavi and Puyol.
The young Fabregas continued to live at home and go to school, but spent the rest of his time at La Masia, training, eating and studying at the famous institution which produced seven of the Barcelona side that won the treble of La Liga, Spanish Cup and Champions League in 2009.
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