Real Madrid News
Real Madrid battling with Barcelona for two teenage Spanish prospects – report
According to ESPN, Real Madrid and Barcelona are competing for the signings of Gael Seijo and Jan Vila, two highly regarded teenage Spanish prospects.
Both clubs are intent on shoring up their academy ranks heading into the new season and are set to battle it out for the aforementioned duo.
Seijo – a gem of Deportivo La Coruna
Seijo currently plays as a centre-back and defensive midfielder within Deportivo La Coruna’s academy system and has already received call-ups to Spain’s Under-14 national team.
Those familiar with the player describe him as standing out because of his physical presence, tactical intelligence and quality on the ball.
At Deportivo La Coruna, who recently secured promotion back to La Liga after spending eight years in the second tier, there is confidence that Gabriel will continue his development within the club’s academy structure.
However, as per ESPN, representatives from both Real Madrid and Barcelona have already held discussions with people close to the young defender.
As such, within Deportivo there is growing acceptance that competing financially with either club may prove difficult.
Jan Vila – an attacking prodigy
Meanwhile, Jan Vila is regarded as one of Spain’s most promising young wingers, currently shining with the academy of RCD Espanyol.
Like Seijo, he is also an international with Spain’s U-14 team and has attracted attention because of his pace, physical power and natural goalscoring ability. Seijo
According to the publication, Real Madrid currently appear to have moved ahead in the race for the young Catalan footballer, although Barcelona have not yet given up hope of securing his signature.
Real Madrid News
Kylian Mbappe fires back at critics over his Real Madrid role: ‘A player who scores goals will never be the problem’
Kylian Mbappe has started the new season for Real Madrid in great form, scoring five goals in five games so far.
The Frenchman has continued from where he left off last season, with seemingly no drop in his scoring rate, and he could have had one more had he not missed his penalty against Real Betis.
The 27-year-old superstar has pushed back against criticism of his contribution to Real Madrid, insisting that his goalscoring should not be treated as a problem.
Mbappe’s logic is that the fundamental objective of football is to outscore the opposition and that, therefore, goalscoring should never be seen as an issue.
As quoted by Mundo Deportivo, Mbappe addressed the issue in an interview with L’Equipe, where he spoke openly about criticism of his defensive work and the constant scrutiny associated with him.
Mbappe responds to criticism
The Madrid forward believes people have become so accustomed to his attacking production that attention naturally shifts towards what he does not provide.
“Is it normal that people forget my goals and focus on the defensive work? No, but that is the life of someone who has been close to excellence for 10 years. I am not new to this. Everyone knows what I can do,” Mbappe said.
“It is human to look at what someone does not do. When someone has been doing something for 10 years, we stop looking at it because we know he can do it, so we look at what he is not doing. I do not take it personally.”
Mbappe’s standards are so high that scoring regularly can almost be taken for granted. However, one has to remember how remarkable that consistency is.
‘A player who scores goals will never be a problem’
Mbappe was even firmer when discussing suggestions that his goals may not necessarily translate into collective success.
“It makes no sense. If I do not score goals, they are going to ask me why I am not scoring,” he said.
“As a footballer, I have learned that there are millions of coaches in every match you play, and not all of those coaches are happy. Everyone has an opinion, but in football the objective is to score more goals than the opponent.”
Then came his clearest message.
“A player who scores goals will never be the problem of a team, because no team has ever won titles without scoring goals.”
Madrid need balance, not less of Mbappe
Mbappe’s argument is difficult to dismiss.
Even if they say “attack wins you games, defence wins you tournaments”, you cannot win games unless you score goals, and you cannot win tournaments unless you win games.
Madrid can demand more collective work from every player, especially under Jose Mourinho, without pretending elite goalscoring is somehow secondary.
The real challenge is finding the right balance.
Madrid need Mbappe to remain devastating in front of goal while fitting into the team’s pressing and defensive structure. Those demands are not one or the other.
If anything, Mourinho’s task is to build a system that protects Mbappe’s greatest strength while still making Madrid harder to play against.
Mbappe’s goals are not, and never will be, the problem. The onus is on the manager to bring those strengths out in a system that also preserves the defensive structure.
