Haruna Babangida Reveals Why He Never Broke into Barcelona's First Team

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Former Super Eagles winger Haruna Babangida has opened up on his bittersweet spell at FC Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy. Signed in 1997 after a successful trial, he became the youngest player to feature for Barcelona B at just 16 years and one month old. Despite netting 42 goals in 110 appearances and training regularly with the senior squad, Babangida says he was never given a genuine chance to establish himself in the first team. He recalls a star-studded academy where many talents thrived while others fell short of expectations. He also highlighted the praise he received from Mikel Arteta, who once described him as the best 15-year-old he had ever seen. After leaving Catalonia in 2004, Babangida enjoyed a nomadic European career, winning two league titles and a cup with Olympiacos. On the international stage, he earned a single cap for the Super Eagles in a friendly defeat to Japan in 2003.

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