Real Madrid News
Real Madrid open talks to renew exciting 18-year-old academy talent
Promotion of young talents was a rarity at Real Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti for the Italian tactician seldom ever trusted younger academy stars with the responsibility the first-team shirt demands.
The story, however, is expected to change with Real Madrid’s managerial change for the new coach, Xabi Alonso, has been an open advocate of giving youngsters their chances.
Arriving at a club that boasts of one of the world’s best academies, he will undoubtedly see a goldmine of talents.
As relayed earlier this week, Alonso has already eyes two talents to take with him to the FIFA Club World Cup, one of whom is Jesus Fortea.
Contract renewal in process
The 18-year-old full-back is widely seen as one of Real Madrid’s top prospects and looks set to make the jump to the first team directly from the youth team, bypassing the Castilla.
Needless to say, securing the future of such a prodigal star is key and Mario Cortegana reveals that Real Madrid have already begun talks to renew Fortea’s contract, especially considering that it runs out next summer.
There had been some concerns about the youngster’s contract situation in the past with the player having been unhappy at his lack of opportunities.
However, now, the cards are all in place for the youngster to renew and the environment has become only more amicable for the same after Alvaro Arbeloa’s appointment as the Castilla manager and Xabi Alonso’s appointment as the first-team manager.
The expected call-up to the Club World Cup leaves Fortea with almost no reason to consider anything but a renewal and Real Madrid are optimistic about completing the same.
Fortea is a capable candidate who can cover both in defence and attack for Real Madrid and Alonso has been a fan of the player for a long time now.
It will be interesting to follow his development over the next season.
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.
