A $70 million challenge emerges for Real Madrid’s academy

Real Madrid takes great pride in its youth academy, and rightly so. The recent successes of La Fábrica speak for themselves: thirteen titles last season, breaking all records, and twelve the year before. 

Added to that are the young players making their mark across Europe with Real Madrid DNA - Jacobo Ramón, Chema, Miguel Gutiérrez, Nico Paz, Álex Jiménez, and others - as well as the full integration of Asensio, Gonzalo, and Carreras into the first team. The academy has also become a valuable source of income, thanks to the club’s strategy in recent years of selling promising players while retaining buy-back options or future rights.

The model has proven effective. Transfers during the past summer window alone generated around $38 million, and other clubs have begun adopting similar approaches to manage talented players who currently lack first-team opportunities. Barcelona, for instance, has implemented this system over the past two years with players such as Unai Hernández, Guiu, Virgili, and Héctor Fort.

Such is the confidence in the work being carried out at La Fábrica, Real Madrid’s training complex, that the club’s budget for the current season, already presented to its members, projects approximately $65 million in revenue from player transfers. This figure includes deals completed last summer, such as Miguel Gutiérrez’s move to Napoli and Jacobo Ramón’s to Como, but it still underscores the club’s full confidence in the project led by Manu Fernández and his team.

The influence of Real Madrid’s academy on Spanish football continues to grow. The club’s young talents featured prominently in the October squads of several national teams, including the Under-20s, who competed in the World Cup. A particularly striking statistic relates to the Under-21 team: ten of David Gordo’s selected players either came through or currently play for Real Madrid.

Those who have worn the white shirt at Valdebebas include Fran González, Jacobo Ramón, Álex Jiménez, Gonzalo Obrador, Chema Andrés, Mario Martín, Iván Fresneda, Iker Bravo, and Bruno Iribarne. The list could even be extended to Atlético Madrid’s Marcos Llorente and Pablo Barrios, both of whom were called up by Luis de la Fuente and have roots in Real Madrid’s youth system.

According to Real Madrid’s latest annual report and budget, the total allocation for salaries stands at €623 million, with €468 million dedicated to the sports division. This represents an increase of 8% in men’s football, 28% in men’s basketball, and 13% in women’s football compared with last season. The sharp rise in basketball spending may be linked to the club’s planned involvement in the NBA Europe project, set to launch in 2027. The club is accepting short-term losses as a strategic investment in the future, with its players already gaining valuable experience in the North American league.