Ancelotti's headache: Real Madrid youth players make major DEMAND
Tom Weber
- Updated: 26 Oct 2023 15:13 BST
- 4 min read
Real Madrid have undergone a real makeover in terms of the age of their starting eleven this season - but there's still a major problem.
While Los Blancos' have shifted their transfer policy towards snapping up some of the world's biggest and brightest talents like Jude Bellingham, Endrick, Arda Guler, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, there is scarcely a sight of homegrown talent in Carlo Ancelotti's first team.
It is a real paradox that Real Madrid are, according to CIES, Europe's most prolific talent producers, yet the last academy products that truly managed to establish themselves are Nacho Fernandez and Dani Carvajal, both of whom are over 30 and the latter only after a sojourn to the Bundesliga.
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This is becoming a real issue, with many in the club's youth system resigning themselves to the fact that they will never get first-team opportunities in the star-studded side, no matter how capable they are. Nico Paz, for example, is regarded as the biggest talent the club have produced in a while, but, at 19, he is still yet to make his competitive debut.
Barcelona show how it is done
This stands in stark contrast to hated rivals Barcelona who could almost form an entire starting eleven out of La Masia graduates who have featured in first-team matchday squads. Against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, five youth graduates played, while regular starter Gavi was suspended.
Of course, this is in large part due to Barcelona operating under severe restrictions because of their financial problems, but that caveat won't matter to the disenchanted youngsters in Real Madrid's youth set-up.
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According to Relevo, it is not uncommon to hear the sentiment that "playing in Madrid's first team is now impossible" among young players. Indeed, many are just happy to reach LaLiga in the first place, hoping that scouts of other clubs will notice them and snap them up.
Youth players are demanding more opportunities and while this is not something that will keep the eminently successful Carlo Ancelotti and Florentino Perez awake at night, it could turn into a bigger issue if the problem persists.
