FootyChatter.com

Teenage prodigy Ajay Tavares has climbed through the ranks from grassroots football in a small Norfolk market town to Barcelona's famous La Masia academy "When do you hear of a young boy from England going to the best academy in the world? " Ajay Tavares' former youth coach Vik Khanna asks an interesting question. The answer is. .. almost never. Tavares is a unique talent in more ways than one. The 16-year-old prodigy has already achieved something truly rare. Only a select handful of English players have been signed by FC Barcelona's famous La Masia academy before. And only one English player - Aston Villa's Louie Barry currently on-loan at Stockport - has lived at the complex famous for producing Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi, to name just a few. Until now. Even those closest to Tavares describe his rapid rise through the ranks from grassroots football in a small Norfolk market town to the prestige of Barcelona via Norwich City as "beyond unbelievable". "When he got into Norwich, there was no surprise, he was that good, " Khanna tells BBC Look East. "When he got into England, it was like, wow. When he got into Barcelona, I was just like, this is unbelievable. It's not sunk in. " Tavares, born in 2009, has become only the second English player after Louie Barry to live at Barcelona's La Masia academy Khanna - who coached Tavares from under-8s through to under-12s at Aylsham FC Jaguars - tried to think of when a move like this has happened before for a young English prospect. "I can't think of a single player, " he said. "Not from the England camp or certainly even a Norwich camp. " Tavares is most definitely in exclusive company after signing for Barcelona in February. Aside from Barry, who spent six months at La Masia before signing for Aston Villa six years ago, only Marcus Mc Guane has played at the academy for Barcelona B between 2018 and 2020. "I think he's overachieved already and he's set amazing standards, " said Khanna. "I think he's just going to keep overachieving. I think he's going to be the one to watch. " 'Everyone at Norwich should be proud of Tavares' Barcelona sign Norwich prospect Tavares Ajay Tavares started out as a striker but has been converted to a winger Oliver still plays for the under-16s at Aylsham, a club around 12 miles from Norwich with 40 teams and more than 600 players, and he recalls Tavares "taking on opponents with ease" even at a very young age. "I remember his technical ability, his ability to see the whole pitch and his scanning was just better than anyone else's, " he said. "You could tell from when he was young that he was going to make it high up in football. " Fellow former team-mate, Kam, echoed the sentiments that Tavares "stood out for his ability on the ball". "It's crazy to think that he was playing here [at Aylsham] and now he could be playing with the likes of Lamine Yamal, " he said. "It's great to see. " Oliver, left, and Kam both played with Ajay Tavares at Aylsham FC Despite his natural talent, the route to the Catalonian giants has not been straightforward for Tavares, according to his father Helio, with years of dedication to "training, late nights, early mornings and the family spending money". "At the age of nine he came for a trial at Norwich, he was so shy, he didn't show his football, " he said. Tavares failed to break into the Canaries academy on that occasion but would try again three years later and successfully made it into Norwich's under-12s in 2022. "I think that was the point where he started flying, " said Helio. "At 13, this is when I would say the explosion came. " After progressing to the Norwich under-18 and under-21 sides, as well as the England youth teams, Tavares also made a first team appearance for the Canaries in a pre-season friendly against Dutch Eridivisie outfit Volendam last summer. He is now part of the Barca Juvenil A under-19 squad, primarily playing as a winger. "There are no words to explain it, " said Helio. "You talk about Barcelona coming to Norwich to pick up a boy from Norwich, it's beyond unbelievable. " Ajay Tavares' father Helio Tavares says their whole family is "proud" Norwich City manager Philippe Clement agrees, even if the club were understandably keen to keep hold of one of their prized young assets. "There are a few things that are maybe disappointing but overall one of the local Norwich guys can go to La Masia and show his talent there and I think it's a point you need to be proud of as a club, " Clement told BBC Radio Norfolk. Clement said the club tried to persuade Tavares to stay at Carrow Road but because of different contract rules in Spain compared to the UK, they "do not have any means to tie a player down at that age". "Then the second part of the story is also that he not only has his UK passport but a Portuguese passport, so that makes it much easier for foreign teams to bring him in, " he added. "On the other side, I think everybody needs to be also really proud. Everybody in the academy, Ajay himself, his family, to have a chance to work in Barcelona is also a really big opportunity. "Barcelona is not bringing in lots of players so that means he has exceptional things. " Tavares has already represented England's under-15, under-16 and under-17 sides Khanna said you could "tell by his work rate" that Tavares was determined to play football at "the best level he could". "He broke in early in the Norwich team, he broke in early in the England team and to be playing at under-19s level at Barcelona at the tender age of 16, it sums up that he's well respected, " Khanna said. Helio believes his son's raw attributes of "pace and speed" are what attracted Barcelona to make their move. "I believe this one [La Masia] can see their soul, " he said. "They can develop him to become even better as a winger. "He loves it, he loves the weather, he loves the food, the people. But he knows there is work to be done. There is a challenge on the way. " Vik Khanna coached Tavares for four years at Aylsham FC Norwich's sporting director Ben Knapper said he was sad to see such a talented player leave but that the club's overriding sense is one of "immense pride". "Ajay's progress has been a testament to the fantastic work of everyone connected with our academy, " he said. "We couldn't be prouder to see him take this step to one of the most iconic football clubs and academies in world football. " Vik Khanna is still pinching himself. "You hear the stories, don't you, that young kids go through and make it up to Premier League level, " he added. "You never think that it'll be the kids that you get involved in that you see here at Aylsham. "But for Ajay, the journey to Barcelona started here at Aylsham and it gives everyone hope that anything can be achieved. " Latest Norwich City news and analysis Listen to BBC Radio Norfolk's The Scrimmage podcast Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Russell takes dominant Chinese GP sprint pole The numbers behind Borthwick's nightmare Six Nations Fastest to 100 wins - Europa specialist Emery sets Villa record Revisit the rise of the Peaky Blinders How is your lifestyle affecting your teeth? The vital role forensic science plays in delivering justice Martin Lewis answers your questions on anything and everything The numbers behind Borthwick's nightmare Six Nations 'Dream come true' - Redknapp eyes Jukebox Man Gold Cup win How do Scots beat 'nemesis' Ireland for first time in 12 meetings? Why London Spirit spent £390, 000 on uncapped Sussex all-rounder Coles From best in league to bench - Foden's mysterious loss of form Why England will keep kicking regardless of what fans think Will Everton's formidable away form throw open title race? Meet Paralympics GB's 26th team member Winter Paralympics daily guide: 13 golds to be decided on Friday Tudor's tactics: Pinpointing how his choices have made things worse The Brits travelling in their thousands to 'Costa del Cheltenham' Frozen out? The 'mixed' team event with one female player Old Firm chaos: What happened? Who said what? What now? Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.