Real Madrid's La Fabrica. What you might NOT know about Real Madrid's Youth System.

For years now i have heard and seen criticism around the internet, newspapers, videos, and just about any kind of media you can think about, on Real Madrid's youth system.  Criticized for the lack of productivity shown when it comes to youth products in Real Madrid's first team, the quite valid fact that   Real Madrid has recently had faulty integration of its youngsters into the first team has led to some very big misconceptions about the whole youth system in general.

These misconceptions mainly include looking at Real Madrid's youth system as quite incompetent by many fans around the world. When your arch rivals have home grown world class players like Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Messi, and Pique just to name a few all in their elite starting eleven,  it doesn't help when trying to save face for Real Madrid's youth.

But that's only if you scratch the very surface of the situation.  

Part 1: Why the misconception?  

Real Madrid has had glorious moments in the past with many of its youth products. Legendary Players in the history of Real Madrid have risen from the youth ranks including players such as Vicente Del Bosque, Raul, Iker Casillas, and have even marked grand Epoques in masses such as the legendary "Quinta Del Buitre" which was formed mainly from 5 youth players including the Legendary, Emilio Butragueno, Manolo Sanchis, Martin Vasquez, Michel, and Miguel Pardeza, all which together went on to win more than 5 La Liga titles together! Manolo Sanchis himself went on to win 2 Champions League titles with Real Madrid in the late 90's and early 2000's!

When you bring in the history of a club such as Real Madrid, who was titled as the best club of the 20th  century by FIFA, and mix in such a great history it has had with youth products in the past, then its easy to hold a high standard, a high standard that has realistically not been met, for several reasons.

With the arrival of Florentino Perez as president of Real Madrid, a culture was brought into madrid which still inflicts it negatively to this day. Since his arrival, the idea of Real Madrid winning the Champions League for the tenth time, along with every title possible at all costs ( literally) has led to a bit of an obsession mentality with how the club is run and hence with how the fans are taught to think. This has made Real Madrid into an institution where you are given very little time to show your worth, and if you fail you will be "kicked" and replaced, so that the cycle begins again and again.

Bottom Line ( I will leave a complete elaboration on why Perez is not right for madrid for another time/article) Madrid has engaged into a mentality where "the best players" must be bought for whatever price it takes, and if a manager fails he should get sacked and replaced with someone else. Some changes have been made to this philosophy over the years as Madrid has recently experienced substantial periods of "failure" but the man behind the whole "project" has not significantly changed or learned from his mistakes thus far, and nor has the core of his faulty management idea. This allows little time for an actual football project to be built in Real Madrid. For years now there has been a sense of desperation to reach glory and this has worsened in recent history with the arrival of the Golden Era of FC Barcelona, Real Madrid's historic arch rivals. 

Throughout Perez's time in madrid, all of this has obviously had a grand effect on the opportunities that youth products that DESERVE to be given a chance, get in Madrid. Real Madrid has turned into a place more so than ever, where winning is above everything; Above time, patience, building, and according to Perez, even "common sense". This desperation mentality along with the huge effect that the failure Madrid has gone through since it's time with Perez have only magnified the situation in which La Fabrica has been placed in many eyes. But as previously stated, simply because the situation is indeed more difficult than ever for canteranos( youth products) to succeed in Madrid, it does not mean that the whole Youth System in it self has been a failure. That is a big misconception that has not adequately been portrayed in the media. 

Overview of Main Reasons as to why La Fabrica's situation is made to look worst than it is.

1. High Standard based on past and rivals.

2. Desperation/Obsession mentality in Real Madrid

3. Media inability to look at "both sides of the coin".

Part 2: The Numbers behind Today's La Fabrica and Debunking of Misconceptions.

Despite the inability to match heightened Standards,  Real Madrid's La Fabrica, despite the surprise to many is actually one of the best Football Academies in Europe! 

According to the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES), Real Madrid's La Fabrica is listed as one of the top 10 Youth academies in Europe, based on number of youth products ( Players who spend at least 3 years in the youth systems were the ones counted by CIES) that are successfully playing top tier football in Europe (1st division)v, referred to as "Top Flight Football".  

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/pitchside-europe/best-academy-europe-094426548.html

As you can see Real Madrid's La Fabrica narrowly misses out from about 3 places in the list, while Main Rivals, FC Barcelona are only 4th in the list, debunking myths such as Real Madrid's Youth System being irrelevant, and that Fc Barcelona's is the best without a doubt. Ajax takes the first spot.

Now i only bring FC Barcelona's youth system into talks right now because whether you want to admit it or not, almost everything Real Madrid and Fc Barcelona do is compared and judged based on what the other does, and for too many years many outlets have wanted to portray the image of FC Barcelona being the almighty club who gives its uber talented youngsters chances, while Real Madrid remains a silent and incompetent force in that department. There is some truth to that(as already pointed out above) BUT, many forget to see here that Real Madrid still stands as one of the greatest forces in european Youth formation and productivity , while FC Barcelona doesn't reach the first place many might expect because of the misconception spread in media. And it also has to be said FC Barcelona had a Golden Age in the youth era consisting of it's current players, Clubs like Ajax and Real Madrid have also had "Golden Ages" in youth in the past as have many other clubs, sometimes more "relevant" talent is produced for various reasons, but the misconception of Fc Barcelona creating only "good" and Madrid only "bad" to put it in simple terms, is not correct. 

As already shown, Madrid's La Fabrica is one of the top 10 Youth Academies in Europe when it comes to creating talent for European Top Tier Football. Among this mass of players that Madrid has recently spread around Europe's top leagues are players such as Roberto Soldado, Esteban Cambiasso, Alvaro Negredo, Juan Mata, Javi Garcia, Borja Valero, Esteban Granero,  and many more including some of Real Madrid's current players such as Iker Casillas, Jose Callejon, Alvaro Arbeloa, Daniel Carvajal, Diego Lopez, and quite possibly soon to be 1st team regulars such as starlets like Jese Rodriguez, and Alvaro Morata who have continuously had great participations in their Spanish youth teams.

Debunked: Madrid have an irrelevant youth system.  

Truth: Madrid's La Fabrica have one of the "best" Youth systems in Europe (and world if you want to take it that way) when it comes to producing talent for "Top Tier European Football".

When it comes to the current state of Real Madrid's youth system, there is much to be happy about, as currently our youth products are excelling very well in their respective youth groups 

http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/es/ActualidadCantera1213/1330149836597/noticia/Noticia/Nueve_equipos_de_%E2%80%98La_Fabrica%E2%80%99,_campeones_de_sus_grupos.htm%20%20Logged

Nine of our Youth Groups including Los Juveniles, El Cadete B, El Infantil A, Los Adevines, El Benjamin, and El Benjamin A, have proclaimed them selves as League Champions in their groups, on top of their spanish rival participants!

Our highest tier of Youth Football, Real Madrid Castilla is also giving us much to be proud of. Last year they managed to advance from third flight spanish football, towards 2nd flight spanish football, and in their first year there since 2007, they managed to trump FC Barcelona B ( FC Barcelona's Castilla) in the league table, finishing 8th place, 2 points above FC Barcelona B, which they also won against in the 12/13 season, 3-2 in our home encounter,while also finishing as the top scoring team in the league ( Liga Adelante)!!!! Our second highest division of Youth Football, Real Madrid C also got promoted, in 11/12, as they moved to Segunda B where Real Madrid Castilla previously was! Our Real Madrid first team, Castilla, and Real Madrid C, are all doing very well done jobs throughout the top 3 tiers of spanish football!

http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/ActualidadCantera1213_en/1330041890619/1330150966318/noticia/Noticia/Castilla_is_the_highest-scoring_team_in_the_Adelante_League.htm

Conclusion: No our Youth System is not irrelevant, it is in fact, very relevant. It is one of the top 10 producers of talent for european top tier football. Some of our most illustrious products like Juan Mata and Roberto Soldado continue to taste success on club and national level.

Our current and future crop look very exciting as Starlets like Jese Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata are coming up the ranks, and our youth groups keep making us proud by winning their youth leagues and 1-upping our classic Rivals Fc Barcelona in multiple ways.

The culture Perez has brought to Madrid hasn't helped with the integration of many worthy youth products into our system, but that doesn't mean our system hasn't produced. It has produced, and is continuing to do so.

Plenty.

Hala Madrid!