Former team-mates Ivan Balliu and Oriol Romeu, and journalist Jaume Marcet, recount the striker's time at the famous Masia academy
Mauro Icardi and Barcelona tried to make it work.
The Rosario-born striker, who had moved to the Canary Islands at the age of nine, signed with the Catalan club's youth ranks in 2008 – the same year a certain other Argentine from Rosario, Lionel Messi, donned the Blaugrana's No.10 shirt for the first time.
Despite his undeniable quality, though, Icardi failed to follow in his countryman's footsteps. The young attacker knew that in order to succeed he had to look beyond Camp Nou, the very pitch that on Wednesday evening he will appear as captain of Inter.