The Academy of Atletico Madrid

An Area That Needs Upgrading

The current state of Atletico Madrid’s academy system is fundamentally flawed and the graduates currently are underperforming in terms of trajectory and there should be reforms done to fix the issue.

Before we start I do want to clarify some of the age groups present as we talk about the teams, we’ll mostly be talking about Juvenil A but here’s a small table just in case you get confused.

I want to focus a key part of the conversation on a particularly talented year of Atletico Madrid players, with the 21/22 U19 team. This Atleti team went on to make the Semi Finals in the UEFA Youth League for the first time ever and showed what was a very promising sign for Atletico fans to look forward to, a brilliant class of players right when the club was hesitant to sign players.

The main example used will be the Madrid derby in the Youth League that year, I’d like to show the different trajectories of both clubs when it comes to planning. A key point is that at the time of this derby both teams were generally agreed on as equally talented, so keep that in mind.

Atletico would win this game 3-2 at the Real Madrid’s home from 2 goals with Pablo Barrios and a goal from Sergio Diez with a really strong performance from the team. They would continue these strong performances before eventually bowing out to RB Salzburg’s U19 team in the semi finals.

I’d like to do a simple comparison between the two teams in terms of where these players have managed to end up since these two clashed in the 21/22 Youth League game. Here’s a list of the Real Madrid starting XI:

Now for the Atletico Madrid starting XI:

As you can see there is a stark difference in the trajectory of these players not in terms of talent but in terms of outcome. It’s clear that the forward planning for a lot of these players on the side of Atletico has been wasteful as this generation of players was by no means less talented than the Real Madrid generation.

While 80% of the Real Madrid team is in the second division and above there are clear signs that Marvel and Obrador will be in the first division next season. As graduates there is very little to be upset over as most of these players will be in and around the first division at the very start of their career with hopes of improving further. Although the likelihood of you actually getting into the first team is very unlikely, however Atletico’s results show not much difference.

Succession plans

There are some problems that I think are major obstacles to the success of a lot of the young players, one of them being the lack of direction when it comes to loans and a clear path to either the first division or the first team. There are several examples in the past few years both within the original examples and without, that show loans for teams that are incompatible with the player or the coach doesn't want to use said player/coaches change midseason.

Javi Serrano who is currently in the B team came off of the back of successive poor loans that effectively stagnated what once was a very promising DM. The season prior to these loans he had multiple showing in the first team, with a first team start in the midfield at 19 alongside Koke and De Paul in the 21/22 season. Currently 22 it feels like the possibility of him playing in the first team is done.

Several of these players are no longer in the team and a few more may follow at the time of writing this article. Giuliano also debuted in this game.

This is also ignoring a lot of internal dynamics/politics that happened throughout the club, coaches can sometimes clash with the players and are seemingly more result-oriented when it comes to the B Team. Foregoing a lot of the player development as a result and stunting potential growth that a simple loan or sale could have provided.

Real Madrid’s general plan with the academy is to set them up well so they can sell them for profit. Usually even after their initial sale they have a sell-on clause or buyback option to control the future of their academy graduates. This has been the case for a long time and it’s attractive to a lot of young players because it guarantees they’ll at least have a good start to their career or potentially get to the first team(most debut). Not that they are without problems but it pales in comparison to what is in place with Atleti.

Where it can improve

Atletico Madrid have used 3 players in the RB position this season, Azpilicueta, Molina and Llorente. Due to the fact that this position is particularly crowded the chances of a player from the academy playing there is low unless the player in question is truly exceptional. Javi Boñar is a very good player who’s flexible positionally, with Azpilicueta leaving this summer there’s now hope for this position. I use Boñar as example of what I think should be done going forward, academy players are there to either fill holes in the squad temporarily or long term fix the squad in ways the market can not or would be otherwise be too expensive to do.

Now I understand that comparison is the thief of joy but the reason I bring up other teams is to show that it is for a lack of trying that this area of our team is failing not for a lack of quality. A lot of the players in the current B team are still very talented and should end up in and around the first division, either through sales, loans or the incorporation into the first team.

Here’s a comment from @Ah0y_ a person who has a lot more understanding of the Spanish academy systems across the country:

With integration into first team it’s hard due to Simeone as he barely ever gives them a chance, which is fine cause he’s competing. The players who show they are too good for B team but Simeone doesn’t trust should be loaned out. I think Atletico should copy Real Sociedad and Athletic Clubs structure of having the C team be for U19 players and the best U18. Juvenil A being mostly U18 with best U17s and Juvenil B being U17s. That way they are playing older age groups and it helps them improve and prepare for next stage. I feel like currently several players at Juvenil A should be playing for C team.

I’m not expecting an immediate and radical change towards what the system currently is but there are several steps that I think should be done for the betterment of the team. Hopefully a reform in the system would allow us to either have a more integrated youth system or at least some more money in the coffers. My hope is that players join the Atletico youth system with good hopes of their future potential as footballers.