Real Madrid managed to win their 36th La Liga title, but behind this glorious achievement, the contribution of the academy was minimal. In the 2023/24 season, manager Carlo Ancelotti has only used three players from the youth team Castilla, namely Nico Paz, Gonzalo García and Álvaro Rodríguez, who combined for just over half an hour and 37 minutes.
In La Liga in 2023/2024, Nico Paz has only played 19 minutes in total as a rising midfield star with outstanding skills and strong ball control. Ancelotti gave him a couple of appearances at the start of the season, but his short playing time did not impress. He made brief appearances against Valencia, Betis, Cadiz and Granada, among others, but more often sat on the bench waiting for his chance. Although Paz has been in excellent form this season in Spain's third division, where Castilla plays, scoring 10 goals, his chances in the first team are still limited.
Gonzalo Garcia is the second Castilla player to play for Real Madrid's first team in La Liga this season. He played a total of 17 minutes, earning appearances against Cadiz and Granada. A Madrid native, Garcia joined Real Madrid's academy as a child, but has been similarly limited in his first-team appearances this season.
The last to come out was midfielder Álvaro Rodríguez, who is 1.94 meters tall. He played just one minute in La Liga this season, against Sevilla, where he replaced Rodrygo, who was unavailable for some reason. The youngster excelled in the Castilla squad but likewise failed to get more opportunities in the first team. He has scored eight goals in 30 appearances for Castilla this season and is one of the Academy's biggest expectations.
Looking back, Real Madrid's academy was once hailed as one of the best in the world. Just 4 years ago, La Fabrica was considered one of the best academies in the world. At that time, around 200 players from all over the world who had grown up in the youth team of La Fabrica competed. Real Madrid's 2020 first team also had seven players from the Academy, in addition to the 48 players who played in La Liga, all of whom were created by La Fabrica. The 55 players in the Spanish second division are also from the Real Madrid Football Academy. In Europe, Real Madrid's academy has also sent 25 players to play for different teams. In addition, there are about 20 people from around the world who come from the Real Madrid Academy.
However, in recent seasons, the first team has become significantly less reliant on Academy players. In contrast, Barcelona have done a better job of developing young players, with a number of young players making regular appearances in La Liga this season. Barcelona have as many as four young players who regularly play in La Liga, three of whom have played more than 1,000 minutes: Lamine Yamal (1,779), Paulo Kubas (1,139), Fermín López (1,137) and Hector Ford (239).
Hopefully, in future matches, Real Madrid will be able to give more opportunities for young players to shine in the first team. This will not only enhance the team's energy and creativity, but also lay a solid foundation for the long-term development of the club.