The evolution of Real Madrid in the National Team in the XXI Century

Real Madrid and the Spanish National Team have always gone hand in hand. Whites, historically, have had a very important representation in all generations of La Roja. However, in the 21st century that trend changed in some moments. Soccer became more and more a global phenomenon in which players were no longer afraid to go abroad to succeed. That caused two situations: Madrid began to sign more and more talent from outside and the white youth players, seeing their place covered, tried their luck in other teams to have opportunities.

That trend was more accentuated than ever in the last call for Luis Enrique. On the list there was only one Real Madrid footballer (Sergio Ramos), although the coach had three players trained in the white quarry (Reguilón, Marcos Llorente and Morata) who do not play for Madrid. Later Marco Asensio also joined due to the loss of Ansu Fati, but the homegrown players continued to win 2-3. In the case of Morata, he is not in Madrid by his own decision, since he asked to leave to have more prominence and currently triumphs in Juventus. But Reguilón and Marcos Llorente had to pack their bags because Zidane doesn't have them.

Analyzing the madridistas who have gone to the great tournaments of the National Team in the XXI century, it is observed that this trend, which was accentuated as never before in the last call, has been gradually produced in the last calls.

The World Cup in Korea and Japan was the first great national team championship of the current century. With José Antonio Camacho as coach, Madrid complied with the usual: great representation in La Roja. Casillas, Helguera, Hierro, Raúl and Morientes were called up and all with an important role within the team. Of them, two (Casillas and Raúl) were also homegrown players. On the other side of the scale, there was only one player trained at La Fábrica who was no longer in the white club: Pedro Contreras, the third goalkeeper who came due to Cañizares's last minute loss. A normal case, since he triumphed at Malaga because Casillas was the undisputed starter at Madrid.

That championship is remembered by all fans for that elimination against South Korea, host of the tournament, in a quarterfinal surrounded by controversy. Precisely two madridistas are especially protagonists in that match: Morientes for the goal that was annulled in extra time and Helguera for his protests to Al Ghandour after the final whistle.

There was a change of coach (Iñaki Sáez replaced Camacho), although three of the five Madridistas who went to the World Cup, repeated (Casillas, Helguera and Raúl). They were joined by Raúl Bravo, so the presence of madridistas decreased by one member but that of homegrown players increased.

On the side of the footballers trained at La Fábrica, again there was a single representative and it was also a substitute goalkeeper, in this case Santi Cañizares. Undisputed in Valencia, but a substitute for Casillas in the National Team. At the time he had to leave Madrid when Fabio Capello came to the bench in 1996 and relegated him to the substitution because he wanted a taller goalkeeper and asked to sign the German Bodo Illgner.

This championship played in Portugal was a failure for the Spanish National Team, because they fell in the group stage.

The Spanish team was excited again with the arrival of Luis Aragonés to the bench and with a new batch of footballers (Cesc, Iniesta, Torres …) who promised to bring joy to La Roja. The change of cycle also caused a change in the names of the Madridistas, but not in the importance of the club in Spain. They repeated two of the previous European Championship (Casillas and Raúl) and they were joined by Míchel Salgado and Sergio Ramos. It was reduced, yes, the presence of homegrown players (from three to two).

As a youth squad who did not play for Madrid, Santi Cañizares repeated again, who was also a substitute for Iker Casillas with Aragonés. At that World Cup in Germany, many expectations were created for the good game displayed in the first phase, but when the crosses arrived, Zidane's France sent La Roja home in the round of 16.

This is the first time that the Spanish National Team has seen a change in trend with respect to Madrid players because an unusual event has occurred up to that point: there were as many Madrid players (Casillas and Ramos) as homegrown players who were not in that moment in the club (Arbeloa and De la Red).

It is true that in the case of De la Red he acted on loan to Getafe as part of his training process and after that season he returned to the white club (shortly after he would have to retire from professional football). Arbeloa, for his part, triumphed at Liverpool and a year later Madrid would sign him after having trained him in the quarry.

That tournament worried the white club, because Spain came out champion displaying a very showy game. It is true that the two Madridistas were basic pillars. Casillas was the captain and was decisive in many stages of the championship, while Ramos was a permanent right back. Despite this, Madrid had no representation in the new style of football that was succeeding. La Roja's style was marked by players like Xavi, Silva, Iniesta or Cesc Fabregas. None played for Madrid …

Florentino Pérez returned to the presidency of Real Madrid in 2009 with two main objectives: to re-sign the best in the world and to restore the club's lost prominence in a Spanish team that was the world reference. In the first part of the strategy, Cristiano, Benzema and Kaká arrived, while to Spanishize the squad they signed Xabi Alonso, Albiol and Arbeloa.

Therefore, in that 2010 World Cup, the two Madridistas from the 2008 Euro Cup (Casillas and Ramos) repeated and were joined by the three recent signings (Alonso, Albiol and Arbeloa). Five in total, matching what happened in the 2002 World Cup. Spain reached glory and it was Casillas, captain and white youth squad, who lifted the first World Cup in the history of Spanish football.

In the youth squad section, triumphing outside, there was again a representative: Juan Mata. This time, however, it was different from the previous ones and a change is beginning to be noticed. He did not feel valued at Castilla and in 2007 he packed his bags and went free to Valencia, where he won his place in the World Cup.

The finishing touch for that unrepeatable generation that chained the Euro-World-Eurocup. As two years before at the World Cup in South Africa, Madrid had five representatives among the champions. Casillas, Albiol, Xabi Alonso, Ramos and Arbeloa repeated.

Among the homegrown players, the list of madridistas who triumph abroad begins to increase. Three players raised in La Fábrica were European champions with Spain but wearing the shirts of other clubs: Mata (who had already been in the World Cup), Juanfran (Atlético de Madrid) and Negredo (Sevilla). Juanfran became an idol at the Calderón after moving to Osasuna from Madrid. In Pamplona he was extreme, although in the National Team he was a substitute winger for Arbeloa, a position to which he had been converted into his club. Negredo, meanwhile, triumphed at Sevilla after not having had opportunities at Real Madrid.

It is a championship of exits without entrances as far as Real Madrid is concerned, the change in trend is beginning to be noticed. Albiol had left the club, while Arbeloa no longer counted. Therefore, Madrid only had three representatives in Brazil: Casillas (which was despite losing the place in favor of Diego López in Madrid), Ramos and Xabi Alonso.

In the youth squad section there were no news in the new faces section either, but there were in the absences section: it was not Negredo and Juanfran and Mata remained. The World Cup, however, was a resounding failure for Spain, who defended the title won in 2010 but failed to pass the first phase.

An event occurs that has never happened before: In the European Championship held in France, there were more Madrid youth squad players who did not play for the club (Casillas, Juanfran and Morata) than players who wore the white shirt (Lucas Vázquez and Ramos).

It was time for reconstruction at La Roja and Xabi Alonso left the National Team after the failure in Brazil. In addition, Casillas left the club of his life in 2015, tired of so much controversy around his figure. Juanfran remained, who came after missing a penalty in the Champions League final against Madrid. And they were joined by Morata, who became the 'nine' starter for La Roja after triumphing at Juventus (that same summer Madrid bought him back).

Spain, however, failed again: in the second round they were eliminated against Italy. After all the successes, there was a double novelty: Casillas was a substitute in the National Team (the starter was De Gea) and he was a goalkeeper for Porto and not for Real Madrid.

After its low weight in the 2016 squad, Madrid recovered it in the last World Cup, played in Russia. Up to six white soccer players attended the event, the highest number in the entire 21st century: Carvajal, Nacho, Lucas Vázquez, Ramos, Asensio and Isco. Only Lucas and Ramos, who were at Euro 2016, knew what it was like to play a great national team tournament at an absolute level.

The other great novelty is that, for the first time so far this century, there was no Madrid youth squad on the list who was not playing for the white club.

Two years after that, the situation of the last list of Luis Enrique was experienced, where there were more Real Madrid youth players than Madrid players. A situation that can be reversed in recent months, since Carvajal was absent due to injury. Beyond the right-back, Madrid have a difficult time calling up any more, since Lucas Vázquez, Isco and Nacho, who attended the last World Cup, have not counted for Luis Enrique. Only Isco has ever been mentioned by the Asturian, but in his first stage. Since he returned to replace Robert Moreno, the Malaga player has not counted …