Balázs Farkas, head of Barça Academy Hungary, told state news wire MTI that the agreement on establishing the school has been four years in the making. The agreement was announced last Monday in Barcelona at a ceremony marking the 90th anniversary of the birth of late Hungarian soccer legend Sándor Kocsis, who scored 111 goals in 184 appearances for the club between 1958 and 1965.

“Hungarian football has a rich heritage, and Barcelonaʼs philosophy and style of play best fits with this medium,” Farkas was cited as saying by Hungarian sports news site nemzetisport.hu. “Through Kubala, Kocsis and Czibor, the Hungarians are in their hearts, and they were very happy to be able to launch such an academy and create value in Central Europe.”

The Budapest school will be the fourth on the continent, after schools Barça Academy Europe already runs in Istanbul, Warsaw and Moscow.

Plans call for training bases on both the Buda and Pest sides of the capital, with applicants chosen through a selection process in the spring and summer. Information on the selection process can be found on the academy website here.