LaLiga: Ever since missing out on Neymar, Real Madrid have signed the best young talents around

Andrew Gaffney

Cast your mind back to June 2013 when Barcelona signed Neymar from Santos for a fee somewhere between €50m and €120m. Florentino Perez was desperate to bring the talented Brazilian to the Santiago Bernabeu. Hours and hours were spent thrashing out a deal. In the end they couldn’t match what Barcelona were offering.

After opting out of a move for Ronaldinho 10 years earlier and instead signing a British superstar who would sell more shirts, Perez didn’t want to let history repeat itself. Yet in the end that’s exactly what happened.

Whether it was due to the illegal incentives or ‘primas’ handed to Neymar’s entourage and family, Barcelona were the victors. Neymar was theirs. Real Madrid, and Perez, were once again beaten to the punch. There was a backup plan though and it involved a Brit coming off the back of his best ever season. Gareth Bale, the Welsh wizard, joined the ranks as the world’s most expensive player at the time.

It’s a matter of opinion, or essentially guesswork, to say whether Neymar would’ve scaled the same heights if he had joined Real Madrid instead. Would he have adapted to the dressing room politics enjoyed by the senior members of the Madrid squad? There’s no doubt Neymar is a more fiery character than the calm Welshman. And at the other end of the spectrum it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that Neymar could’ve dislodged Cristiano Ronaldo from the important role he has in the current Madrid side.

Again though, this is all fantasy football and the answers will never be known.

Don’t talk about Galacticos, talk about Galactinos

However June 2013 remains a key moment in Perez’s time at Real Madrid. And it isn’t because they won ‘El Decimo’ in that season, although that too is extremely significant in the history of the club. It was instead the moment that Perez refused to lose out ever again when it comes to signing the most talented youngsters in the world. Whatever the price, whatever it took, Perez would make sure Neymar is the last player to escape his grasp.

Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez joined the squad the following summer, both under 25. Kroos wanted parity with the top earners at Bayern Munich but the German champions didn’t want to abandon their structured wage scale. Madrid swooped in and signed one of the best young midfielders in the game.

James was more of a classic Perez purchase. His stock was high after a magnificent World Cup with Colombia. It gave Madrid a foothold in the South American market while at the same time added yet another attacking midfielder to their ranks. At 23 and with fine seasons at Porto and Monaco behind him, it looked like another wise purchase.

Loans and buy-back clauses to the rescue

Fast forward to 2015 and once again youth was the order of the day. Casemiro was re-signed from Porto after a successful year on loan at the Portuguese club. Matured and ready for the first team the deal was relatively inexpensive. Lucas Vazquez, then 24, was also bought back from Espanyol. Mateo Kovacic, Danilo, Marco Asensio and Jesus Vallejo joined too. A bid for David De Gea fell through but was further proof of their attempts to build for the future.

Last summer the movement continued. Alvaro Morata, similar to Casemiro and Vazquez, returned to the club after a successful period outside of Madrid. Mariano Diaz came up from the youth team as well. Diego Llorente, Marcos Llorente and Borja Mayoral went out on loans to see if they were ready to join the senior squad in the following campaign.

The relentless approach to acquiring the best wonderkids

And what have we seen so far from Real Madrid in this window? Yet even more investment in young players. Vinicius Junior, a mere 16-year-old, was snapped up for a hefty €45m. He’ll spend at least another season with Flamengo to further his development.

Theo Hernandez, excellent out on loan at Alaves, became the latest teenager to join Zinedine Zidane’s squad. He joins from city rivals Atletico. And then finally Dani Ceballos completed his move from Real Betis, rejecting a proposal from Barcelona as well, to offer yet more options in midfield.

It’s as if that Neymar transfer woke up the beast in Perez. Perhaps guilty of all too often going for ‘galacticos’ it didn’t allow him to focus on long-term planning. It was about the present and nothing else. Coaches were sacked when they couldn’t find the right mix. They were to blame, not Perez, in his eyes at least. All this despite coaches having players they didn’t want or need. It had some success but it wasn’t a stable model.

Their transfer ban saw more youngsters given a chance to shine

Zidane’s calmness under pressure has helped Madrid’s new squad gel, as has their transfer ban. You could argue it was a blessing in disguise. The youngsters were handed crucial opportunities and took them. The investments are paying off and Perez is showing no signs of slowing down. Like a boxer who has his opponent against the ropes, he has to go for the stoppage. Kylian Mbappe might be the knockout blow.

Spanish media are reporting that Madrid are close to signing Monaco’s crown jewel for a world record fee of around €160m. Mbappe only has one and a half seasons of senior football under his belt but set the world alight last year both domestically and in Europe. He made his with a debut for France too. Like a Pokemon master, Perez must catch them all. What if he stalls, Barcelona sell Neymar and then buy Mbappe? Perez simply cannot take that chance.

So if they sign Mbappe, who would they go for next? Ousmane Dembele could be the man to strengthen Madrid’s right-hand side according to a local journalist. Is it just a coincidence that he was linked with a move to Barcelona recently? Maybe, but Perez’s objective isn’t only about beating Barcelona to the punch but instead securing an era of Los Blancos dominance. While there’s no sign the president is ready to say goodbye just yet he wants to leave a lasting legacy at the club.

Could ‘overbooking’ force a star player to leave?

The problem with amassing every available youngster is that you can overbook certain areas of the squad. It’s an issue Zidane dealt with perfectly last season but the numbers continue to swell. In midfield they have Llorente, Casemiro, Luka Modric, Kroos, Isco, Mateo Kovacic and Ceballos to pick from. Seven into three doesn’t work.

If Mbappe joins they’ll have Cristiano, Asensio, Bale, Lucas Vazquez and Karim Benzema. Ceballos and Isco might also push for a slot further forward. It’s practically impossible to keep everyone happy.

Although I don’t think there’s a need for Madrid to see one of their main ‘BBC’ forwards leave quite yet. All three would command sizeable fees but Madrid don’t need the cash. They sold two rotation options last season for around €100m. Zidane will give the main three ample playing time but both Cristiano and Bale need protecting to avoid fitness issues. This should, in theory, allow for a fair spread of minutes for everyone.

However, depending on how the rotation policy goes, this situation might change next summer. Madrid aren’t adverse to selling those who lose their place in the side and should a current star feel he deserves to play more, they’ll cash in and invest the money elsewhere. For now though I expect Zidane to juggle his pack in order to keep his embarrassment of riches happy.

And while he does that, expect Perez to be on the lookout for more future stars. Maybe missing out on Neymar was the best thing to happen to Real Madrid.