In recent seasons, Real Madrid has been heavily criticized for having few Spanish players in its starting lineup. The club has been talking about “Spanishizing” the team in recent seasons, something that has become a necessity after this summer’s departures, which would leave the team outside UEFA regulations, making strategic signings necessary in this regard.
The UEFA rule
The Homegrown Player Rule, or ‘locally formed’ rule, is a rule for UEFA competitions that was first introduced in the 2006-07 season and came into full effect from the 2008-09 season. In addition to a maximum of 25 players on the A List, clubs must designate a minimum of eight players trained by clubs in the same national league, i.e., they must have at least eight Spanish players or, of those aged 15 to 21, at least three must have spent at least three years training in a Spanish youth academy.
Real Madrid’s current situation
Currently at Real Madrid, as Pau Segarra comments on social media, there are not enough players to comply with this rule. With the departure of Vallejo and Lucas Vázquez, the only Spanish players in the squad would be Dani Carvajal, Ceballos, Fran García, and Asencio. However, looking at the youth academy, Vinicius, Rodrygo, and Fede Valverde all turned 18 and trained in Spain until they were 21, so they would meet the rule. That would make seven players, meaning at least one more would have to be signed.
The first signing of the season is Dean Huijsen, but he left Spain at 16, so he would not count. Álvaro Carreras, who trained in Real Madrid’s youth academy, is on his way and would fill the eighth spot. However, the future of players such as Ceballos, Fran García, and Rodrygo is in question, so Real Madrid would have to make more moves in this regard or draw from the youth academy for European competitions, which could weaken the team.
Spanishizing the team
Spanishizing the team is a leitmotif that has been sounding loud at Real Madrid for some time. As we said, the first signing for the Whites has been Spanish center back Dean Huijsen, fulfilling the dual function of Spanishizing and rejuvenating the squad. This Spanishization has also taken place on the bench with the arrival of Xabi Alonso.
In addition, several of the names that have been circulating in the transfer market also have a Spanish accent. Álvaro Carreras is reportedly close to signing to strengthen the right-back position for the Whites. The Benfica defender came up through the youth ranks at Real Madrid, so he knows the club well. Although more complicated and far from being finalized, names such as Rodri and Zubimendi have also been mentioned as possible signings for the Santiago Bernabéu.
However, the men who are being mentioned most often and who could sign in the coming days are not Spanish. We are talking about Trent Alexander-Arnold, Angelo Stiller, and the return of Argentine Nico Paz.