At around 2.15 pm on Wednesday, Real Madrid’s squad for their pre-season tour of the United States was published. Beyond the excitement around seeing new signings Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler, Fran Garcia, Joselu Mato and Brahim Diaz (returning after three years on loan at AC Milan), the greatest point of interest was how many academy players would travel.
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With Sergio Arribas, Carlos Dotor and Rafa Marin all expected to leave in the coming weeks, (Dotor joined Celta Vigo on Thursday) media reports suggested Nico Paz and Alvaro Rodriguez would be on the plane. Finally, three youngsters were called up, as The Athletic had advanced on Tuesday: goalkeepers Fran Gonzalez and Diego Pineiro, and talented attacking midfielder Nico Paz.
Madrid’s initial plan was that only two goalkeepers from the academy would travel to the United States. However, Dani Ceballos’ injury, coupled with Carlo Ancelotti’s liking for Paz, gives the 18-year-old a great opportunity.
The presence of academy players is a little lighter than last summer, when goalkeepers Lucas Canizares and Luis Lopez, right-back Vinicius Tobias and forward Juanmi Latasa travelled with the team. Of those, only Vinicius Tobias featured.
Here, The Athletic profiles the three bright talents Ancelotti is calling on this year.
Nico Paz, 18, attacking midfielder
With Arribas expected to depart, Paz is seen as the crown jewel of Real Madrid’s academy. And he continues to live what has so far been a dream 2023.
Paz began last season in the under-19 team managed by Alvaro Arbeloa, but in January was promoted to Real Madrid Castilla, the club’s reserve squad that plays in Spain’s third tier. He featured in 18 games with Raul’s side over 2022-23, playing a key role as they narrowly missed out on promotion to the second division.
Because of the quality of his final pass, his finishing from range and his power when striking the ball, there are some at Castilla who compare him to Kevin De Bruyne.
Raul has set Paz a task for this coming season, the same one that Arribas previously had to face in order to definitively progress as Madrid would like: transforming all his promising play into goals and assists.
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Real academy directors highlight Paz’s mix of quality, strength and his ability to withstand harsh physical treatment from rivals. They also admire his control in tight spaces, something considered essential when moving up to the first team, where everything flies at a devilish speed.
Last season, he also caught Ancelotti’s eye and was called up for several senior training sessions. The Italian included him in Madrid’s squad for their first Copa del Rey match of the season in January, and for the La Liga visit to Real Sociedad in May, although he is yet to make his first-team debut. An Argentina youth international, he is under contract until 2027.
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Fran Gonzalez, 18, goalkeeper
Despite his height of 6ft 5in (199cm), Gonzalez is probably the great underdog of La Fabrica. Born in Leon in north-west Spain, he was signed in 2022 from Cultural Leonesa, where he had been since 2010.
Gonzalez joined Real’s Juvenil B side (under-18s) and immediately stood out, even making a strong impression on Luis Llopis, Madrid’s first-team goalkeeping coach.
Last season, he was called up to the Madrid squad for their penultimate match of the season at Sevilla, where he was an unused substitute along with regular reserve goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. In June, just a year after landing in Madrid, he signed a new contract that runs, as The Athletic has learned, until 2028.
This season will likely see Gonzalez gain further experience in the senior side while at the same time featuring with Arbeloa’s under-19s. However, Arbeloa always prioritises players who have been preparing for a match with the group during the week, so it is possible that Gonzalez will also regularly appear for Real Madrid C, while continuing to train with the first team. This would likely see Ferran Quetglas, signed in 2022, start for Arbeloa’s Juvenil A.
Fran Beltran, who was recently appointed manager of fourth-tier Marbella, coached Gonzalez with the under-18s. He describes him as “without doubt a special goalkeeper”.
He adds: “At the beginning, the way of working generated a certain impact on him, and he was insecure. I remember that on the third or fourth day I asked him how he felt at Madrid, because he is a born Madridista, and he answered that he he had doubts. He gave the feeling that he was not aware of his own level.
“He came with a series of deficits related to training, but the club made a very strong commitment to him. The boy quickly saw that he had something special, that he could be a Real Madrid player and started working flat out. He got very fit and began to go to the gym before and after training, while setting out to follow a nutritional plan provided by the corresponding department.
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“He is a modern goalkeeper, he dominates the area, but he is also surprisingly agile and fast.”
At Castilla, they are also keeping an eye on Gonzalez. They see him as a player with clear potential, with several voices comparing him to Thibaut Courtois.
🧤🎾
Así entrenan, con Llopis a los mandos, Courtois, Lunin, Fran González y Piñeiro.@TheAthleticFC pic.twitter.com/P56A1eCVrJ
— Mario Cortegana (@MarioCortegana) July 20, 2023
In any case, despite his skills between the sticks, patience and caution are called for because he is still very young. “It’s not the same to face shots from a youth player than from Federico Valverde or Luka Modric,” said a Castilla source, who preferred to speak anonymously because they did not have permission to comment publicly.
Another specialist of La Fabrica defines him as follows: “He’s big like Courtois — but with an even greater reach. He is very fast, he occupies the goal very well, he is agile, with very good physical condition. He’s still a little green with his feet, but that’s what he’s here for, with the best coaches — so he can improve.”
Diego Pineiro, 19, goalkeeper
Born in Madrid, Pineiro arrived at Valdebebas in time for the 2014-15 campaign, when he was playing at under-11 level. Last season, he was the starting goalkeeper for the under-19s, despite the team having brought in the promising Quetglas from Mallorca in the summer.
A youth international with Spain, Pineiro was one of the pillars of Arbeloa’s team as they won a domestic treble (league, Copa del Rey and Copa de Campeones). They recorded 42 wins (one in extra-time), four draws and just one defeat (in the UEFA Youth League) in all competitions.
For the 2023-24 season, he has been promoted to Castilla, where he is supposed to begin as the third goalkeeper, behind Lucas Canizares and Mario de Luis. The departure of Luis Lopez, a Castilla keeper last term, is expected, with Segunda Division side Mirandes interested.
Raul is delighted with the addition of Pineiro, who is valued at Castilla for the experience he brings from playing in the UEFA Youth League especially. They see him as an agile goalkeeper who anticipates the movements of strikers very well and is confident with the ball. In a word: complete.
Real Madrid’s pre-season tour of the US
- July 23: AC Milan, The Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena (10:00pm ET)
- July 26: Manchester United, NRG Stadium, Houston (10:30pm ET)
- July 29: Barcelona, AT&T Stadium, Arlington (5:00pm ET)
- August 2: Juventus, Camping World Stadium, Orlando (7:30pm ET)
(Top photo: Diego Souto/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
