Your questions our answers on Real Madrid – Question Corner #1
By Hasan Karim
Question 2
Why is La fabrica so underrated and never mentioned as something which as churned out the most players in the top 5 leagues for multiple seasons in a row but Barca is still stereotyped as the production source of talent
— Aalap Trivedi (@Aalap_Trivedi) November 19, 2018
This is a very interesting one. When many think of Madrid, they think of a club who spends big and buys the games biggest stars – up until the last few years that was largely true. Academy graduates of La Fabrica rarely managed to break into the starting line-up, of course, there are notable exceptions to that previous statement. In 2016, over 40 of graduates from La Fabrica were playing in the European top 5 leagues, in comparison, only 26 from Barcelona’s famed La Masia were featuring in the European top flight.
Ultimately, I think that this debate comes down to how many of those talents go onto feature in the success of Real Madrid as opposed to other European clubs. I believe the success of the golden generation of La Masia between 2008 and 2012 ultimately blurred the lines with so much of their success being a result of an academy built core.
To conclude, it comes down to how you view it – Madrid boasts an immense representation of their academy throughout Europe and clubs like Manchester United and Barcelona have had some of their best memories come as a result of their “students” which builds a strong sense of sentiment. It’s all about perspective and what appeals to you.