Retired Nigeria international Haruna Babangida has revealed that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta knows him well from their early days together at Barcelona’s La Masia academy, before the Spaniard moved on to Rangers.

Babangida held the record for many years as the youngest player to feature for Barcelona B in the Segunda División, making his competitive debut at just 16 years, 1 month and 21 days old.

He spent three seasons with the reserve side, occasionally joining the first team in friendly matches and taking part in pre-season training camps abroad.

Babangida was part of La Masia’s golden generation, training alongside players such as Arteta, Xavi Hernández, Carles Puyol, Andrés Iniesta, Víctor Valdés, Pepe Reina and Gabri.

Reflecting on his time at the club, Babangida, who represented Nigeria at the 1999 Fifa U20 World Cup, explained that his journey to Barcelona began with a straightforward trial that quickly led to his signing.

Speaking to Gazzetta Greece, Haruna said: "My transfer to Barcelona happened in 1997 as a teenager. The story is simple as I went there for a trial.

"They called me, they saw me and they decided to sign me. That's how it all happened. They liked me from the beginning."

He added: "There were many big names at La Masia. We were all young talented players who lived there and chased our dream of succeeding in football.

"Many of them managed to star in football and become big names, but there were also others who didn't make it even though they were very good."

In an interview six years ago, Arteta praised Babangida, saying that the Nigerian was the best 15-year-old in the world he had seen at the time. 

"Yes, Arteta knows me very well. We started together from the small team and reached the second team of Barcelona before he left so we had a great relationship between us."

After departing Barcelona in 2004, Babangida went on to enjoy spells with Olympiacos, Apollon Limassol, Kuban Krasnodar, Mainz, Vitesse Arnhem, Kapfenberger SV and Mosta before eventually bringing his playing career to a close.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Photo Credit: fcbarcelona.com