Real Madrid completed the signing of another prodigy last week; 17-year-old Brazilian midfielder, Reinier Carvalho.
The young Brazilian is one of many youth signings done by Real Madrid in the past four years. The average age of Real Madrid’s squad is now 26.3 years, one of the youngest in Europe.
To put this into perspective: Liverpool have an average squad age of 26.8 years, Manchester City have an average squad age of 27 years, FC Barcelona has 26.5 years and Juventus have an astoundingly old squad, with an average age of 28.2 years.
Real Madrid did not always have a young squad. When the club’s president, Florentino Perez came to power in 2009, he splurged 264 million Euros on big names such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso, etc. These players went to do great for the club and showed how powerful money actually is.
Unfortunately, the age of splurging cash on big names is over. Today, 264 million will only give you Neymar and David Sanchez. Hence, President Perez had to change up his strategy; invest in young so that your wallet will not get stung.
Real Madrid’s squad is of the future. Here are merely a few of the names that could go on and become the next galactico:
Andry Lunin, 20 years old
In terms of goalkeeper-age, Lunin is still in his cradle; however, he is showing great potential.
Winner of the U-19 World Cup, Real Madrid value the Ukrainian highly. He is not afraid to be a sweeper keeper. His playstyle is commanding and has “Manuel Neur” written all over it.
Archaf Hakimi, 21 years old.
He is Marcelo but plays on the right-wing. The Moroccan defender Archaf Hakimi is on loan at Borussia Dortmund and is wreaking absolute havoc.
6 assists and 2 goals in 18 games is very impressive for the youngster.
Martin Odegaard, 21 years old.
After being the youngest player to ever debut for Real Madrid first team at the age of 16, some say that Martin Odegaard has eclipsed his time in fame – arguably because of the fact that he has been loaned off from Real Madrid to various different clubs for the past 4 years.
However, the 21-year-old Norwegian looks to have settled in Real Sociedad, which could be his final on-loan club before returning to Real Madrid. The midfielder has scored 5 goals and given 4 assists in the past 19 games.
Vinicuis Junior, 19 years old
Some say Vinicuis is the pacier Ronaldinho and they are not far away from the truth. He has everything you expect from a Brazilian winger: flair, elegance and speed. Real Madrid paid 46 million for a youngster and it paid off. His assist to Benzema might just be one of the greatest assists in football history:
Watch it here: https://youtu.be/ucZvTruue5Y
Rodrygo, 19 years old.
“In the future, Vinicuis will get the spotlight but Rodrygo will get the job done” – Anonymous.
Rodrygo does not have the flair of Vinicuis but the 18-year-old can score goals. He scored an hat-trick on his debut in the champions league and has been consistently performing in La Liga.
His playstyle is simple, but it works!
The era of the Youth
With more people playing football than ever before and clubs focusing more on youth football, this decade is shaping up to be very interesting.
All in all, Real Madrid have played their cards very well. Only the tides of time can tell how these young players will turn out under this immense pressure and fame.
So sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.