Lige 5 - La Liga / Premier League / Serie A / Ligue 1

[melodyne]

A lik kod nas nije odigrao bukvalno nista.

[Red passion]

Real Madrid's plan remains unchanged: 'Thiagos' and big sales


Real Madrid has a very clear philosophy regarding its youth academy, almost the opposite of Barcelona's: it will continue to prioritize generating revenue while also developing promising young players for the first team. And all of this is done with unique guidelines for scouts and coaches.

Alfredo Matilla, Fernando S. Tavero
Updated to March 28, 2026 19:58 CET

They are two different philosophies. At times, almost opposite. Regardless of personal preferences, neither has proven to be better than the other. And both have proven to be more than effective. In the eternal comparison between Barça's and Real Madrid's youth academies, it could be said that at La Masia, footballers, especially midfielders, are nurtured slowly to win titles with a specific style of play. Meanwhile, at La Fábrica, that nurturing process is taken a step further, sometimes opting for a more aggressive approach, with a diversity of styles, to generate both profit and glory.

The emergence of Thiago Pitarch and the Quinta del Buitre, which he leads , is celebrated because improving the first team is an obsession. But stability is non-negotiable. That's why, at Valdebebas, they don't flinch when the commitment to the youth academy is questioned, when it's said that it comes in waves, or when there's talk of a talent drain. Something that, on the contrary, stings daily at Can Barça. Look at Dro. The fact that they've earned more than 500 million euros this century from the transfer of promising young players is not only a source of pride for Real Madrid, but one of their strategic pillars. "It's important to sell to progress, and what's truly vital is developing players who reach Castilla, who experience professional football, so they can be sold and the machine keeps running. If some of them then make it and establish themselves at the academy, all the better, but that's not easy. The best players in the world are already there in every position."

The budgeted annual expenditure for Real Madrid's youth academy is €42.6 million for this season, down from €37.2 million last season. Revenue from player sales is projected to reach €60 million in the 2025-2026 season. The club is therefore celebrating the fact that the reserve team has been a goldmine, generating over €40 million since the summer of 2025 through the transfers of Miguel Gutiérrez (€7 million to Napoli), Chema Andrés (€5 million to Stuttgart), Víctor Muñoz (€5 million to Osasuna), Obrador (€5 million to Benfica), Yusi (€3 million to Alavés), Javi Hernández (€3 million to Al Arabi), Jacobo Ramón (€3 million to Como), Álvaro Rodríguez (€2 million to Elche), Marvel (€0.8 million to Leganés), and Álex Jiménez (€8 million to Bournemouth). Profitability and a positive balance sheet are key. Just as some professional clubs are cracking down on agents and scouts at their training facilities, Real Madrid are delighted with the activity and the fact that, for example, they're receiving dozens of requests to closely observe the promising young players on the verge of leaving. Up to 10 Serie A clubs are monitoring the youngsters every two weeks. And they're joined by scouts from the other major leagues. In fact, as revealed by AS, if Real Madrid wanted to, they could sell almost half of the squad managed by Julián López de Lerma right now to La Liga, Segunda División, or abroad. Loan and transfer offers are piling up.

In this model, it's crucial that both scouts and coaches have the freedom to develop top talent and not just become obsessed with conjuring up players who might fit into the first team. This, as sources at the heart of the training complex point out, avoids the tendency to focus on producing physically imposing center-backs, promoting speedy full-backs, and concentrating on creating a few old-fashioned center-forwards. These are simpler alternatives to develop as a backup plan, stemming from the misconception that there won't be room in other positions at the elite level because they'll be reserved for stars, thus depleting the club's finances.

Thus, when asked at Valdebebas about Thiago Pitarch's emergence, the explanation of how they work with midfielders in particular perfectly summarizes the plan and objectives. It's a machine that continues to operate regardless of the pressure of results, mainly because it works. While at Barça, Bernales ' academy focuses on maximizing the potential of seven-a-side football, where Marc Serra designs the roadmap, and the mental map philosophy is its guiding principle, at Real Madrid's youth system, they work very differently. "There's more freedom and, therefore, more diversity," they emphasize from within.

A clear philosophy

To begin with, scouts don't follow a fixed pattern like those at Barcelona (importance of player profiles, 360-degree vision, positional play, etc.). Given the need for variety among central midfielders, wingers, and attacking midfielders, there's no set formula to guide them. Each player's attributes are linked to their position; physical attributes are relevant to this preference for the French style, but without adhering to many other guidelines. If anything, talent remains paramount. There's no standard manual. The idea is that good players always have a place, regardless of the first team's playing style. Thiago, brought back from Atlético Madrid, arrived in this way. This is how it's justified in every report, and it's also how decisions are defended when management demands solid reasoning for an investment.

The coaches, once the recruited talents arrive, also understand this clearly. While they are taught to instill the desired values—and the club is inflexible on this point—there is autonomy and independence regarding technical and tactical aspects. In fact, each team plays with a different system, the one created by the coaching staff in question, which has nothing to do with what Arbeloa is currently proposing. If it coincides, all the better. But there is no imposition. The variety of approaches, far from being a problem, is seen at Real Madrid as a virtue that clearly reveals their intentions: the crucial thing is knowing how to adapt to the playing style of any team (and buyer) in the world. This motto becomes a barb aimed at Barça when they point out that many Barça products who come out of La Masia don't succeed where the focus isn't on possession, the Dutch triangles, and the fundamentalist religion of possession.

At Real Madrid, individual perfection is so highly valued—often at the expense of the collective - that the Performance Unit at Valdebebas exists to hone the strengths of promising young players and correct their weaknesses. From the youngest age groups to the youth teams, there are specific training sessions for each position that complement the regular weekly training sessions. These sessions, which bring together players from different age groups, are usually led by different coaches from within the club. Every player in the youth academy participates in these sessions at some point during the season. And new faces are constantly emerging.

According to various sources, Real Madrid renews its squads with between 50 and 60 new signings per season just for its 11-a-side teams. The inertia in 7-a-side football, where there are more trials, commitments to attend to, and less certainty, further skews the figures. “This is like a business; if what you have is working, you stick to the plan and promote players, and if not, you replace them as usual,” agree several coaches who were promoted from the club years ago. At Barça, however, it's much harder to let players go. Signings for 11-a-side football, in the best-case scenario, can be counted on one hand. A couple of years ago, for example, there were 10, and four or five of them were from Catalonia. It's a process and a model that needs much more continuity.

These are two different ways of thinking. At Barça, despite constantly congratulating themselves on producing Guardiolas since the last century, they are deeply affected when mistakes occur or flaws appear in this production line. This happened when Cesc, Thiago, Olmo, and Nico had to leave, or when hundreds of other failed projects like Jonathan, Oriol Romeu, Aleñà, Denis, Gumbau, and Riqui Puig didn't pan out. And all this despite having produced Gabri, Xavi, De la Peña, Iniesta, Busquets, Sergi Roberto, Rafinha, Gavi, Casadó, Fermín, Bernal… Every unfinished project is a pang in the heart.

At Real Madrid, player comings and goings are treated with much more ease. In fact, some even consider players like Granero, De la Red, Parejo, Odegaard, Javi García, Antonio Blanco, Torró, Mascarell, or Atlético Madrid's Marcos Llorente, who brought in €40 million, as family, even though they may have played more games for other clubs. That's why, in Real Madrid's youth academy, a phrase that has them rubbing their hands together and greasing the till every day makes sense: "Thiago Pitarch is very good, and hopefully he'll stay with the first team forever. Right now, Manuel Ángel and César Palacios are just as good, if not better. Keeping some and selling others is what gives meaning, balance, and profitability to the club and its youth system." It remains to be seen which players will continue their careers at the Bernabéu and which youngsters will go further afield.

Gdje smo mi od njih 1-2 desetljeća iza i tek sada smo krenuli nešto zadnjih 6 godina raditi.

Ovo su majstori stvaranja nogometaša u zemlji s 30-40 milijuna manje stanovnika, sportska nacija, stvaraju na traci svjetske veznjake i odlične i jako dobre golmane u zadnje vrijeme no najgore od svega ne i svjetske 9-tke što im je za mene najveći minus dok obrambene isto puno slabije, a krila su im doslovno sve samo ne čistokrvni Španjolci.

No i pored svega toga, ovo što Španjolci rade i van ta 2 kluba unutar prve 2 lige je brutalis. Mi bismo trebali učiti od njih, nekako smo po ovom pitanju uvijek bili u nekom fazonu Real Madrida nego jednodimenzionalne Barcelone i Ajaxa.

Ipak, ono što sam već sigurno najmanje 2 puta napisao u zadnjih 5 godina ovdje je kako bismo trebali u Real Madridu kupovati (mlade) igrače i talente jer ih ima na pretek - što za udarnu postavu što za rotaciju gdje bi za razliku od njih dobili veću šansu i minutažu.
Čak i iz Barcelone, no sada je taj klub u takvom fazonu s Flickom da samo s domaćim igračima može ubirati trofeje i uspjehe narednih 8 godina, dovesti nekako ključne strance kada im RFEF i jedino će im trebati u zadnjoj liniji igrači iz vlastite akademije te ta 9-tka koju Furija jednostavno nema od vremena Ville i Torresa, ranije Raúla, Morientesa, Tristána, Miste, Salve...

Ovaj siječanj je u Bayernu sa silnim odlascima mi je upravo bio na liniji ovog napisanog što Real Madrid ima sa svojim omladincima sada i zadnjih godina - neki će ući u prvu ekipu i pretpostavljam baš poput Karla zaigrati i razarati pored silnih stranih egomanijaka(predominantno tamnoputih zadnjih 4-5 godina) i tu nam ti Nijemci trebaju(samo da nisu preniski jer Anton plače odmah i prekriži talente u kategoriju smeća jer je nizak i jer ga Bayern ne sluša ).

Mi nismo Real Madrid i mi generiramo profit daleko bolje nego oni u svemu što je protiv nas - liga, njena profitabilnost, TV prava, terenski/rezultatski monopol, nula konkurencije i elite, preočajan talent, razvoj i konačna kvaliteta Nijemaca kao nogometaša na super infrastrukturi već 20 godina u većoj državi sa istom sportskom tradicijom i većim uspjehom na svjetskim i europskim smotrama i rezultatima kroz povijest.

No generirati profit dizajući kvalitetu razvoja vlastitih mladića poput Pavlovića i Stanišića, pravilna selekcija, skauting i dovođenje njih kao Karla i ovih stranih poput Jamala, Cardoza, Daibera, Prescotta i dr. je upravo smjer u kojem treba ići.

Can, Stiller, Yildiz i takvi transferi mladih igrača su isto ispravni jer ako i takvi igrači donose (veliki) profit to onda znači da ispravno radimo s mladima i taj rad ide uzlaznom putanjom pa taman da i prije svega uspijevaju negdje drugdje imati ozbiljnu ili veliku karijeru, bilo to naša pogreška ili naš propust, no potvrda omladinske škole i rada trenera u njihovom razvoju je isto bitna ili bolje rečeno bit će.

[Red passion]

https://x.com/theMadridZone/status/2038288509270626518

[melodyne]

Finanz-Debakel beim FC Chelsea! Der Londoner Klub verbuchte in der vergangenen Saison einen Rekord-Verlust von 300,8 Millionen Euro (262 Mio. Pfund). Die Blues knacken damit den bisherigen Negativ-Rekord der Premier League. Noch nie gab es in der Geschichte der England-Liga ein fetteres Minus.

2011 meldete Manchester City einen Verlust von 226,7 Mio. Euro (197,5 Mio. Pfund). Den düsteren Rekord der Skyblues.

[Red passion]

Koliko su trošili od dolaska Boehlyja 2022. ja sam zapravo šokiran da je SAMO 300 a ne 900 milijuna € minusa. Katastrofa od kluba, čisti kupušnjak bez identiteta. Onaj Chelsea s Terryjem i Lampardom tamo 2002. je imao sa i bez Abramovicha kontinuitet.

[melodyne]

Skoro svaki novi logo izgleda kao jednostavnija verzija prethodnog logoa. Kreativnost nula.

[anton 1983]

Kad bi barem izbacili Real i da nista ne osvoje ove sezone.

Kad bar Arsenal ne bi nista osvojio ove sezone.

Kad bi se bar Kusen kvalificiro za LP.

Kad bi bar švabi uzeli dva europska trofeja.

Kad bi bar švabi imali 5 predstavnika u LP sljedece sezone.

Kad bi bar Bayern hapil kantu!

Skroman sam

[doro]

Sve vrlo moguce osim da Arsenal neubu prvak Engleske

[Murta]

Zaš? Imaju 6 bodova više od Citya, utakmicu više i direktan dvoboj u Manchesteru sljedeći tjedan. Ako se sve odigra kako treba, bit će izjednačeni.

[melodyne]

Sve iz zavisi za 7 dana. Ako ih Pep pobedi mislim da mogu da im otmu titulu ako bude nereseno tesko.

[Red passion]

Arsenal umjesto +16 da su imali sve ovo vrijeme oni stalno se prosipali kroz sezonu. Tablica i broj osvojenih bodova nakon 32. kola sve govore. Oni ni 90 bodova neće dohvatiti ove sezone.

Stihovima već opjevano:
"Daaaaleeeeko je titula moja,
Dalek mi je put do nje,
Već su prošle godine,
Pa me zovu uspomene.

Daaaaleeeeko je titula moja,
Dalek mi je put do nje,
Jutro nikad ne svane
Da je srce ne spomene"

[doro]

Arsenal sugavi proso nezasluzeno Sporting unoba meca bio slabiji i sad igra sa smecem Atleticom.

[Red passion]

https://www.instagram.com/p/DXKkqPSiJR3/

Takozvani španjolski klub.

[Red passion]

Griezmann jednostavno ne može s Atléticom osvojiti titule. Na pomolu je još jedna sezona u nizu bez trofeja za Madriđane.

Sinoć je Pellegrino Matarazzo s Real Sociedadom uzeo španjolski kup na penale i stigne još uhvatiti i LP s Baskima.
Ćaleta-Car i Sučić u prvoj postavi bili I odigrali cijelu utakmicu.


Danas Arsenal izgubi ili remizira protiv Manchester Cityja glavni okršaj i vjerujem da će opet po 3. put u zadnje 3 godine propustiti osvojiti titulu.

[Red passion]

Leicester City na jubilarnu 10. godišnjicu od osvajanja povijesne i senzacionalne titule u Premier Ligi je ove sezone službeno ispao iz Championshipa u League 1.