Real Madrid could field a line-up of stars now in the Premier League had they kept some of their best youngsters, including Emi Buendia of Aston Villa and Leeds ace Diego Llorente.
Buendia and Llorente are instead two stars now forging careers for themselves in England, while Los Blancos prep for the Champions League final. Carlo Ancelotti has masterminded the Galacticos’ first return to the UEFA final since 2018 while also winning La Liga this year.
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Real Madrid stunned Manchester City to eliminate Pep Guardiola’s side from the European cup in the semi-finals. The Santiago Bernabeu natives pulled off yet another huge result to come from behind entering second-leg stoppage-time before winning the tie in extra-time.
Dani Carvajal, Nacho Fernandez, Fede Valverde and Lucas Vazquez are the only prospects to emerge from Real Madrid’s Castilla side who featured against Manchester City. All four hold important first-team roles, which many of the players now in England did not enjoy.
Some former Real Madrid gems left the Spanish capital for the Premier League after a long Bernabeu career like Kiko Casilla. The goalkeeper is now back in Spain on loan from Leeds, so what XI is possible from former Real Madrid youngsters plying their trade in England?
GK: Kiko Casilla left Spain for Leeds after starting career as Real Madrid youngster
Casilla left Real Madrid for Leeds in January 2019 after starting his career as a youngster at the Bernabeu. He could not break into the senior side before joining Espanyol in 2007, but returned to the Galacticos in 2015 and played 43 first-team games across all competitions.
Leeds signed Casilla to aid their bid for promotion into the Premier League, but he has only played three games in the English top-flight. The Whites then sent the 35-year-old to Elche on loan last year. He will return to Elland Road this summer with a year left on his contract.
RB: Kiko Femenia now in Premier League after flopping as Real Madrid youngster
Kiko Femenia flopped as a youngster with Real Madrid but is now a Premier League regular with Watford. The right-back only spent a single season on the Galacticos’ accounts during the 2013/14 season, after spending the prior two terms with their Clasico rivals Barcelona.
Femenia only played five games in the Real Madrid Castilla side before his release in 2014. His career continued a year later at Alcorcon before a move to Alaves and then Watford in 2017. The Spaniard is now the general first-choice selection at Vicarage Road whenever fit.
CB: Diego Llorente showing Real Madrid what he’s got in Premier League at Leeds
Llorente enjoyed a respectable career as a youngster in the Real Madrid Castilla squad and is now showing Los Blancos what they passed on at Leeds. The defender played 63 times in the Galacticos’ B-Team, but he only managed to break through for three senior outings.
Real Madrid later sold the 28-year-old to Real Sociedad in 2017, where he played for three years before moving to England. Leeds paid £18m for the eight-cap Spain centre-half, who is one of the first names on an Elland Road teamsheet between spells out through injuries.
CB: Fabinho the rock of Liverpool’s midfield could have been a Real Madrid star
Fabinho is the rock of Liverpool’s midfield nowadays, but the Brazilian could have been a star of Real Madrid’s. The 28-year-old spent a season in Los Blancos’ Castilla ranks on loan from Rio Ave in 2012/13. Yet despite also making one first-team outing, they let him leave.
Monaco would loan Fabinho the following term before buying the 25-cap international. He later moved to Liverpool in 2018 for £39m and has proven his defensive skill. Jurgen Klopp has even relied on Fabinho to feature at centre-back with ease whilst dealing with injuries.
LB: Marcos Alonso now Premier League star after one game as Real Madrid youngster
Marcos Alonso has been one of Chelsea’s star defenders for the past six years after joining from Fiorentina for £24m. He had honed his trade in Real Madrid’s academy, though, yet failed to break through and become an established first-team presence at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid afforded the left-back just one senior outing, as a stoppage-time substitute in a La Liga match at Racing Santander in April 2010. But that July saw Los Blancos sell him to Bolton Wanderers. Alonso has since gone on to win the Champions League with Chelsea.
CM: Real Madrid rejected Saul as a youngster before Atletico Madrid success
Real Madrid rejected Saul as a youngster before the Spaniard – now on loan at Chelsea – became a success at Atletico Madrid. The midfielder joined the Galacticos’ academy aged 12 in 2006 but he left within two years. He went on to play 340 senior Colchoneros games.
Saul’s time with Atleti additionally led to two Europa League titles and a La Liga crown in 2020/21. Chelsea would then swoop and strike a loan-to-buy deal for £3.5m plus a £30m option to buy. Yet Thomas Tuchel has rarely had faith in the 27-year-old in west London.
CM: Martin Odegaard a Premier League captain in waiting after Real Madrid axe
Martin Odegaard is a captain in waiting at Arsenal after Real Madrid axed the midfielder in a £34m deal last summer. The Norwegian has shown supreme leadership and an ability to conduct the Gunners’ attacks since they made his initial six-month loan move permanent.
A move to north London marked the end of his six years with Los Blancos after joining way back in 2015. Yet despite Odegaard impressing in the Castilla side and in a loan move with Real Sociedad, the 23-year-old only managed 11 senior Galacticos outings for 489 minutes.
RM: Aston Villa enjoying Emi Buendia skill Real Madrid never did
Aston Villa are enjoying the creative skill Buendia possesses after signing the Argentine last summer for a club-record £33m from Norwich. Real Madrid never saw what the one-cap maestro can offer, having let him leave their Castilla side after just two seasons in 2010.
Real Madrid had brought Buendia to Europe from Atletico Cadates before letting him join Getafe’s academy. He would start his senior career at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez until he joined Norwich in 2018. A move to Aston Villa later retuned Buendia’s international debut.
AM: Juan Mata enjoyed trophy-laden career after Real Madrid axe as youngster
Juan Mata has gone on to enjoy a trophy-laden career since Real Madrid axed the 34-year-old as a youngster. The Spanish maestro moved to the Galacticos from Real Oviedo’s youth side in 2003 and spent four years there. Yet Mata never had a senior game for Los Blancos.
Instead, his senior breakthrough came with Valencia, where Mata played 174 times before moves to Chelsea and Manchester United. The 41-cap star also won the Copa del Rey with Los Murcielagos in 2008, 2010 World Cup with Spain and a Champions League at Chelsea.
LM: Real Madrid could atone for Sergio Reguilon exit with Tottenham raid
Real Madrid could atone for selling Sergio Reguilon to Tottenham in 2020 by re-signing the full-back this summer. Spurs paid Los Blancos up to £32m for the Spaniard, yet also agreed to include a buy-back clause in the deal to ensure they edged Everton, who had bid £18m.
A return to the Bernabeu for Reguilon is of interest to Real Madrid, but Defensa Central note Los Blancos consider their €40m (£34m) option to be too much. Instead, they would hope to pay €30-33m (£25.5-28m) as the full-back has not developed as well as they had hoped.
Antonio Conte is seemingly open to Tottenham selling Reguilon, with the Evening Standard reporting Spurs are open to offers. There is also an acceptance in north London that they may struggle to recoup the fee paid for someone who played 22 senior Los Blancos games.
ST: Leeds forward Rodrigo victim of Real Madrid axe after only one season
Rodrigo was the victim of Real Madrid’s axe after just one season with the Galacticos from 2009 to 2010. Los Blancos had signed him from Celta Vigo’s academy, yet let him leave for Benfica after only 18 Castilla outings. The forward returned to Spain with Valencia in 2014.
A move to the Mestalla returned Rodrigo’s senior Spain debut and would see Leeds pay a club-record £26m in 2020. The White broke out the chequebook upon their promotion to the Premier League, but the 31-year-old has struggled to be a threat in every appearance.
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