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On Tuesday, when all hell broke loose at the Camp Nou when Lionel Messi notified his notice to leave Barcelona via burofax, Real Madrid beat Benfica 3-2 in Switzerland in the UEFA Youth League final.
Juvenil A’s triumph was Madrid’s first since the tournament was founded in 2013. In fact, it was Real Madrid’s first appearance in the final of the competition.
The U-19 mini-tournament was played at the Colovray Stadium; As in the Champions League, it was concluded in specific matches in a single venue due to the coronavirus.
As Barça disintegrate, Madrid can watch from a position of relative safety during this short break between seasons.
They have regained the La Liga title, Zinedine Zidane is a firmly popular choice on the managerial bench, and the club has achieved its European success, albeit at the underage level.
Madrid, led by Whites’ icon Raúl, took the lead in the 26th minute when Pablo Rodríguez headed a Sergio Arribas cross from six yards.
The Spaniards doubled their lead at halftime when Henrique Jocu converted an Arribas cross into his own goal.
Benfica cut one in the 49th minute, but Madrid regained their two-goal lead a minute later thanks to Miguel Gutiérrez’s low shot at the rear post.
Benfica scored from a corner in the 57th minute to reduce the deficit again, and the Portuguese team had a golden opportunity to equalize in the 68th minute, but Madrid goalkeeper Luis López kicked Tiago Dantas’s penalty and made several saves more important. ensuring that the title returned to Spain.
Real’s triumph was a team effort; no player scored more than four goals in the entire competition. But goalkeeper López and left-back Gutiérrez, who trains regularly with Zidane’s first team, are among the standouts, as is 17-year-old forward Israel Salazar, who has scored more than 150 goals at his group levels. old.
However, the cream of the crop is helping King Arribas. The young Spanish midfielder was arguably the best player on display at Nyon. He was moved by Raúl to a false nine and dominated against Benfica.
Arribas, an action player who demands the ball at every opportunity, possesses a host of tricks to match his confidence; You can create openings just behind the striker or by dropping deep to escape high pressure.
Doubts persist at Real about whether Arribas is light at this stage in his career, and it seems likely that the 18-year-old will be assigned to team B, Castilla, next season in order to prepare him for absolute action.
If he plays for Castilla next season, Arribas would rejoin Raúl, who went on to lead the B team in June 2019 but was in charge of the U-19 team for this final.
Raúl temporarily took over this summer when Dani Poyatos left to coach Panathinaikos. Real decided not to immediately appoint a new full-time coach with the national U19 season ending early due to the coronavirus.
He had no experience as a coach before joining Real, he was the club’s ambassador before being invited to lead the U-15, then Castilla, but Raúl went through the quarry and knows what the players need.
He has impressed both with a young squad in Castilla and now with Juvenil A and is targeted within Real as Zidane’s successor.
The Youth League victory completed a brace for Juvenil A, having won their league – Division de Honor Juvenil de Futbol Group 5 – by four points from their local rivals Atlético de Madrid.
This is the most successful season at the U19 level for the crop that aims to follow current first-team luminaries, including Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vázquez and Federico Valverde, and much of that is down to Raúl.
The former No. 7 spent 16 years at Real and is their second all-time top scorer, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo, with 323 goals in a club-record 741 appearances. He’s brought that attacking approach to training, while also proving himself to be a disciplinarian.
High-level figures are impressed by Raúl’s ban on mobile phones before games, as well as the ban on young players buying expensive cars or presenting themselves in jewelry or designer clothes. All Castilla players must wear club tracksuits before and after matches.
Raúl’s reputation and approach earn him unquestionable respect, and for good reason. With six league titles and three Champions crowns, scoring in two of the finals, few players know better than he what it takes to succeed at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Moving from Castilla to the highest position is not a guaranteed path to glory. Zidane did it; Santiago Solari failed.
Raúl, however, is a club legend more in the mold of the French than the Argentine and would inspire respect. It’s early to say, but the former Spain captain is a coach with a serious future and will be a contender for Madrid’s lead role when the current starter leaves.
“This is an extraordinary team and we were hungry to win this tournament,” Raúl said after the final whistle on Tuesday. “This is comparable to some of the most important moments that I experienced as a player. It is wonderful and I would like to congratulate the guys because this is a great step in their careers.
“It is a historic day. I have been lucky enough to experience many beautiful things and this is another one of those. How these guys have competed in all four games despite not being used to playing that often, they should be immensely proud. ”
Having guided the U19 team to European success, it remains to be seen if Raúl will continue his dual role in 2020-21, with Spanish soccer still at the mercy of the coronavirus.
However, at the level of play and training, the future looks bright for Real, and certainly if we compare it with Barça.
