The colonies of Real Madrid

Real Madrid has changed its transfer policy in recent years. Taking as a starting point the 2009-10 season, that of the return of Florentino Pérez to the presidency, it can be seen that the European clubs have gradually gained relevance in the loans made by the club. Not surprisingly, Spanish teams are still the most chosen when it comes to training young footballers. But little by little that fear that existed when looking outside our borders has disappeared.

Examples such as Dani Carvajal or Vallejo in Germany, Morata in Italy or Ceballos this year in England reinforce this idea that transfers abroad, when they go well, bring even more benefits than those made to Spanish clubs. There is more risk, although if the footballer manages to adapt, he returns to Real Madrid with the wealth of having included different ideas in his repertoire. The physical soccer that is practiced in Germany, the English verticality, the Italian tactic … They are strong cultural clashes at the beginning and if they can be overcome, the players return with many more tables. He met Carvajal, also with Morata. Or it is currently happening with Achraf, who many attributed to being very 'green' during the season in which he was in the Madrid first team and who now leads Borussia Dortmund in matches of maximum demand, both in the Champions League and in the Bundesliga .

For this report, the players who have played matches with the Madrid first team, or at least have been called, are taken as a reference. Transfers with a repurchase option are also included when that repurchase has become effective (Morata, Lucas Vázquez, Casemiro …). In total, there are eleven players who, after their transfer, had a place in Real Madrid's first squad: Carvajal, Cheryshev, Casemiro, Coentrao, Morata, Lucas Vázquez, Asensio, Vallejo, Marcos Llorente, Mayoral and Fede Valverde. With others, such as Raúl de Tomás, Theo or Kovacic, the transfer did not serve to give them a place in Madrid, but it did serve to increase their value in order to deposit money for their transfer. This is how white transfers have been distributed in the last decade.

Spain is, by far, the preferred competition when choosing a destination: 34 in the last decade. It represents 58.6% of the totals, more than half. Although there are adventurers like Carvajal, Mayoral or Achraf who go abroad, Spain continues to be the destination of choice for the players who have formed their entire lives at La Fábrica. The vast majority prefer to take their first step as a professional within our borders before risking an experience abroad.

The distribution of teams is very diverse. Only Valladolid, with four on loan (Mario Hermoso, Raúl de Tomás, Javi Sánchez and Lunin) is slightly out of place and much of the blame lies with the arrival of Ronaldo. Then comes a group of eight teams with two transfers in this decade: Seville (Cheryshev and Reguilón), Getafe (Pedro León and Medrán), Valencia (Cheryshev and Canales), Zaragoza (Vallejo and Mateos), Espanyol (Lucas Vázquez and Asensio ), Leganés (Óscar Rodríguez and Lunin), Real Sociedad (Theo Hernández and Odegaard) and Deportivo (José Rodríguez and Fede Valverde). Finally, eleven clubs with a loan: Rayo (Raúl de Tomás), Villarreal (Cheryshev), Hércules (Drenthe), Málaga (Diego Llorente), Levante (Borja Mayoral), Oviedo (Lunin), Granada (Vallejo), Mallorca ( Kubo), Racing (Luca Zidane) and Castellón (Palanca).

The one that has been most effective is Espanyol: full of returns. The two players who decided to debut in the First with the Blue and Whites (Lucas Vázquez and Asensio) returned to the Bernabéu. The first one did when the white club executed a buyback option, while Asensio returned at the end of his loan year, which did not include any purchase option for Espanyol.

As for the teams in the Community of Madrid, no player has yet returned to the first team. Pedro León and Medrán (Getafe) never wore the white shirt after their loan, Óscar Rodríguez and Lunin (Leganés) returned on loan after their first year in Butarque and Raúl de Tomás (Rayo) was transferred to Benfica.

Although it has been shown that abroad the players grow up learning other soccer styles, in Spain the experience is also very positive. Cases such as the recent ones by Odegaard and Kubo this year, or Fede Valverde's fruitful year at Deportivo (although he was not one of the most outstanding, he matured and returned to stay) invite us to think that Madrid will continue to take into account the teams of LaLiga to give up its most promising players. Good experiences abroad allow you to have a wider range of options, but without giving up on Spanish clubs.

It is the one that has had more weight abroad during the decade: eight players. Carvajal (Leverkusen), Lienhart (Freiburg), Sahin (Dortmund), James (Bayern), Achraf (Bayern) and Odriozola (Bayern). The door was opened by Dani Carvajal. After not having opportunities with Mourinho, he made a brave decision: without having stepped on the first Real Madrid team, he packed his bags to leave after being transferred to Bayer Leverkusen. A new country, another football, with no First League experience and one of the greats in the Bundesliga. A lot of risk, but it came out in an unbeatable way: 36 games, 3,154 minutes, a goal and eight assists. Named the best right back in the Bundesliga. Madrid had no doubts to buy it back.

Carvajal's experience opened a new horizon that until then in the club gave some respect: transfers to Germany. For this reason, in the 2016-17 season two of the great promises were experimented with twice: Jesús Vallejo went to Eintracht in Frankfurt and Borja Mayoral to Wolfsburg. The center-back performed perfectly, well above what was expected even by the Germans themselves, who counted on having him on loan for two years because they did not expect him to have so much participation. Vallejo played 27 games and was a key player in the surprising Eintracht that reached the Cup final, who lost to Dortmund. Borja Mayoral, on the other hand, was the cross of the coin: only two goals and 426 minutes. However, both returned to stay at Madrid. They completed the objective.

In the last two years, this situation of heads and tails has been repeated. The face has been Achraf, who left Borussia Dortmund two seasons ago after a season in the Madrid first team in which he had left doubts. However, in the Bundesliga he has grown a lot as a player and the white club wants him to return. The cross has been Odriozola, who has also failed to have minutes at Bayern.

In the Premier, the transfers have gone wrong or have remained in no man's land. Eight players have also gone, although some like Sahin or Kovacic left without Madrid's idea that they would return. The eight are Drenthe (Everton), Sahin (Liverpool), Mejías (Middlesbrough), Mascarell (Derby County), Kovacic (Chelsea), Ceballos (Arsenal), Vallejo (Wolverhampton) and Moha Ramos (Birmingham). All have been a failure except for those of Kovacic and Ceballos.

To forget was the situation of Sahin, who after failing at Madrid also did so at Liverpool in 2012-13 (he was only half a season). Nor did Drenthe curdle at Everton.

Who did have many minutes was Kovacic in the 2018-19 season, at Chelsea, although his situation was not that of a normal loan. Madrid did not want him to leave, but the Croat came to threaten to go into default and the club ended up accepting the transfer. Its acceptable performance during its loan year served to blues They signed him last summer for 45 million euros.

This last season two young people in whom Madrid relies a lot have gone to England: Vallejo and Ceballos. The two did so after two seasons in the first white team. The defender had no luck at Wolverhampton and in winter packed his bags to return to LaLiga, Granada. Ceballos, on the other hand, did shine at Arsenal, although an untimely injury made him miss quite a few games and then it cost him to convince Arteta. Before the competitions stopped, he was again the starter and one of the most outstanding of his team.

In Italy there have been two very different cases. The first was Gago, who went to Rome but with little hope for Real Madrid in a possible return. It was more a strategy to try to revalue itself for a future sale. The objective was fulfilled, because he played 32 games and the following summer he was transferred to Valencia.

Very different was what happened for Morata. Juventus made a strong bet: 20 million euros. After two good seasons in Turin, Real Madrid bought it back for 30 million in the 2016-17 season. Despite the double of the white club (League and Champions) and that he scored 20 goals, he was never a starter for Zidane. That caused him to pack again to go to Chelsea the following year for € 80 million.

Two transfers, both from the same player: Martin Odegaard. He first played for Heerenveen in 2017-18, with a very uneven performance: just two goals and two assists in 26 games. The following year he repeated his loan in the Netherlands, although he changed teams: This time he went to Vitesse, where he exploded: 39 games, eleven goals and 12 assists. That allowed him to return to Spain, to Real Sociedad, where he has confirmed that he is ready to play for Real Madrid. You have met the ultimate goal of youth assignments: maturing to return. Despite this, Madrid and the player's plan is to stay a second year in San Sebastián to return to the white club with the title role.

Casemiro (Porto) and Coentrao (Sporting) have tried their luck in Portugal, although they are two very different cases. The midfielder was traded with a buyback option in 2014-15. He shone in Porto (35 games) and returned to Madrid (He had already won the Champions League with Ancelotti in 2013-14).

As for Coentrao, Madrid wanted him to leave the club but nobody wanted to pay a transfer. The Portuguese was still with a valid contract and leaving Sporting de Portugal was the only way not to pay his full salary.

Two transfers with no weight, because they were two players who were no longer believed. Lucas Silva, who had arrived as a promise from Brazil in 2013-14, failed at Marseille. Coentrao went to Monaco in 2015-16 because Madrid did not have him. He did not do badly: 19 games, three goals and two assists. He returned to the white club, although more because nobody wanted him in the summer of 2016 than because Zidane had him.

With an assignment each country, but both without any weight. Lucas Silva went to Cruzeiro in 2016-17 because no team in Europe was interested in him, while Mateos, after playing several games in the Madrid first team, He went to Greek AEK although without Madrid having any faith that he would return to the club in the future.