Former La Masia graduate, Pol Calvet, retires from football aged 24

Pol Calvet was one of those youngsters from the academy that there were high hopes for. But as we know, not everyone is able to make that step up to the first team. The reasons for this are various. However, in the case of Pol, it was a bit clearer. After making it to Barça B, he went under the knife twice to resolve hamstring problems and that essentially ended his hopes at the club.

Pol arrived at FC Barcelona as a youngster and spent eight and half seasons at the club before asking to be released in 2016 when he wasn't getting much playing time. In those eight years he was a crucial part of the midfield and starred alongside Nando Quesada, David Babunski and Sergi Samper. He was capped by Spain at U16 and U17 level too.

When he left Barça he joined Deportivo de La Coruña, where he was playing in the youth side. Little by little he began to realise his dreams of making it as a footballer had changed and he went over to the United States. He went back to the classroom and got his Business Administration degree and played for Pittsburgh Panthers before being selected by Los Angeles FC in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft.

Now Pol is heading down a different path. At just 24 years old he's decided to retire from football and dedicate himself to other projects. He's been used on Barça TV as a guest or an analyst due to his high level of English. He's also signed for Beach Soccer Worldwide, a company based in Barcelona, which is dedicated to expanding the growth of beach soccer around the world. Pol Calvet is responsible for finding sponsorship deals for the company.

His chapter as a professional footballer might be over but he's discovered that there's a very good life for him away from the pitch.