5. Juni Calafat
Before you start building a house, you need to have your architect design a proper plan. Similarly, a football club that is aiming to build a team for the future also needs a scouting team and a sporting team, who can lay out the plan, and scout the best players to ensure that the plan is executed well.
At Real Madrid, that architect is none other than the club’s chief scout, Juni Calafat.
Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, Federico Valverde, Eder Militao, and every youngster who had played a key role in Real Madrid’s success this season was scouted by Juni Calafat. Vinicius in particular was scouted at the age of 16 itself, and Calafat always ensured that he remains in touch with the Brazilian’s family and entourage, while he was at Flamengo.
He is one of Florentino Perez’s most trusted people in the club, and he has always repaid the President’s faith. Clubs like Liverpool and Chelsea have tried to lure the man into joining their club, but haven’t been able to do so.
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The man who has assembled this set of young and talented players deserves a lot of credit for their successful season at Real Madrid, and I’m pretty sure that this unsung hero will continue to recruit many more talented players for the club.