Why do Real Madrid struggle to trust their La Fabrica graduates?

On September 30, 2005, the greatest of the whites, Alfredo Di Stefano, and a young Dani Carvajal set the groundwork for what is now recognized as Real Madrid City, which later included the famed and illustrious La Fabrica, the club’s youth division and academy.

Over the years, the institution has produced tremendously well-known football stars, who have demonstrated their training from the heart of Madrid on some of the world’s most prominent stages. When it comes to creating talent every season continuously, the setup boasts of unmatchable excellence.

However, the academy’s drawback is found on the other side of the coin. La Fabrica, which literally translates to “The Factory,” has lived true to its name. Undoubtedly, it has produced future stars throughout the years, but very few of them have been able to get into Real Madrid’s first-team.

To begin, Achraf Hakimi, Theo Hernandez, Marcos Llorente, and Sergio Reguilón are a few names from a long list who, despite their talent, struggled at Real Madrid and have succeeded elsewhere. In much more recent moves, Miguel Gutiérrez of Castilla moved to Girona FC and Antonio Blanco was loaned to Cadiz, while Juanmi Latasa and Sergio Arribas are still linked to other teams who appear interested in them.

What are not Real Madrid trusting their La Fabrica graduates?

To consider this circumstance, what may be the reason that Real Madrid simply cannot place their confidence in homegrown players who have matured and showcased their potential over those they have brought in for huge sums of money with no guarantee of success?

There might be a variety of reasons why Real Madrid may not be able to stay up with La Fabrica talent for long, but in our opinion, the most likely reason above all is the commercial component of operating a club, which is, after all, a business model that requires a consistent intake of revenue.

It is no surprise that La Fabrica is synonymous with the word ‘quality’, and this level has been upheld throughout. In exchange for this characteristic that few other football academies possess, the club is often offered a decent transfer price, which cannot be rejected given the severe competition in the first team, which is pretty much the case at all times.

Another incentive to trust known players and spending money on acquiring them rather than promoting homegrown talent is the business component that stars like Eden Hazard bring with them in terms of jersey sales and new fans, among other things, that would otherwise not be there if a player from the academy is picked.

Nonetheless, the aforementioned claims only touch on a tiny portion of Castilla’s problems, which largely stem from the high expectations and lack of patience that come with representing the best club in the world.

Simply put, many professionals’ ambition of playing for the largest club in the world is confronted with equal competition that is ever demanding and often brutal.

Even if they wanted to, little or nothing could be done in terms of bringing in players because you simply cannot be patient at a club of this calibre that seeks victory at every turn. The desire that this madridismo carries is, in the end, quite brutal for those who wish to establish a name for themselves in the royal white.

You may be one of the best in the world and yet struggle at Real Madrid because one bad day could lose you your place in the team. From the objectives this club has held from its foundation, there is just no pity or support. It requires rapid results, which you may be unable to provide instantaneously.

Another point of view is that luck plays a significant role in this situation. The harsh reality, which is often not perceived by many supporters, is that not every brilliant player is destined to play for Real Madrid; it is just not written, and it is a hard fact that must be faced sooner or later.

Overall, the issue with Real Madrid’s predicament with La Fabrica is legitimate, perhaps even worrying, but the facts of the matter are clear enough to support why every name cannot be a first-team star, since the supply of talent is not going away anytime soon and the pitch can only contain 11 people at a time.