Audi 2007 Annual Report Download - page 112

110 SPORT&ATHLETES
270 new Raúls
Real Madrid has the highest revenue of any soccer club in
the world. The Madrid club also sets standards when it
comes to youth soccer. On the outskirts of the city lies one
of the world’s largest soccer training centers.
COPY Alexander Gutzmer PHOTOGRAPHY Montserrat Velando, Genin Andrada
he ultimate role model is everywhere. When the
eight-year-old boys arrive at the club’s training ground
in the early evening, the image of soccer star Raúl
looks down on them from posters and even drawings. At Real
Madrid’s new training center, Raúl González Blanco is omni-
present. The name of the star striker is sure to crop up in the
youngsters’ discussions about the last match or their club’s
performance in the Champions League. The 274 boys and
teenagers in the club’s 15 youth teams all want to follow in his
footsteps. Raúl himself began his career at Real’s legendary
youth academy. Now he scores goals in the Primera División –
and is the club’s most important figurehead.
“Players like Raúl, with their long history at Real, are the soul
of our club,” says José Miguel González, who heads the acad-
emy and himself spent 20 years playing for Real – rising up
through the club’s youth divisions before becoming a star,
famous for his crossing. Following great successes with Castilla,
Real’s second team, he graduated to the first team in 1984,
playing 404 matches for the “galácticos” under his nickname
Míchel until his retirement in 1996. A Real legend.
The same is true of Míchel’s deputy Ricardo Gallego, who started
out as a 14-year-old in the youth academy and eventually won
four Spanish championship titles in his nine years on the first
team. Its youth policy has also been a factor in this success.
Players who have risen through the ranks, like Raúl, Miguel
Torres and iconic goalkeeper Iker Casillas, help fans to identify
more strongly with the club. They are also more likely to with-
stand outside offers because they are themselves that bit more
tightly bound to their clubs – although the legendary loyalty of
players such as Míchel or Uwe Seeler, who stuck with Ham-
burg throughout his playing career, is no longer found today.
As other clubs have done before, Real have also professional-
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