As we reported last week, Real Madrid has made a 180-degree turn in the club’s medical services, and this change has also affected Itziar González and her team of nutritionists, who had been working for the club since last season. It was an unexpected decision that caught those affected off guard.
Change for the new season
Felipe Segura, head of the club’s medical services, has been in charge of the restructuring and new hires for the new season. The change has been drastic, with many equipment managers and physical therapists leaving the club for the new campaign.
The motivation behind the change at the club stems from the countless injuries suffered by players in the squad over the last two years. Felipe Segura has been tasked with hiring professionals from within his circle of trust, with the aim of putting an end to this run of muscle problems that has greatly affected the team’s performance.
However, the surprise came with the team of nutritionists, as they had initially left on vacation after the World Cup, as confirmed by the club itself, and the working relationship with Itziar González and her team was intended to last for two seasons, after which a decision would be made on whether or not to continue the collaboration.
Return to work at Real Madrid and dismissal
The Real Madrid squad returned to work on Monday, August 4, to prepare for the new season, and on the same day, both Itziar González and her team of nutritionists were scheduled to do their daily work with the players on the field. But they never made it to the pitch. It was that same day, first thing in the morning, when the club informed the members that they were terminating their employment relationship.
As we said, the news was totally unexpected, as this team of nutritionists had been hired last year, and the idea was to focus on physiogenomics, a technique that combines physiotherapy, osteopathy, therapeutic nutrition, and nutrigenomics, which had yielded such good results in elite soccer players in recent years, especially in Dani Carvajal, the team captain, who years ago suffered constant muscle injuries that ended once he was in the hands of Dr. González, also multiplying his physical performance, which helped him become the best right back in the world. But there has not been time to evaluate this technique, because in less than a season, the real impact of physiogenomics cannot be measured.
Surprise at Real Madrid’s decision
But this team has not only worked with Dani Carvajal. Itziar González and her team are backed by results in elite sport and with other top-level footballers such as Canales, Marcos Acuña, and Juanmi Callejón, and the club’s decision to dispense with one of the most important groups of nutritionists in the country in such a short time is surprising.
The club’s decision is particularly striking, especially since after the Club World Cup they assured the team that they would continue this new season, but something happened in those three weeks of vacation that made the club change its mind. It is also striking that the club’s new nutritionist will be a young man who only finished his degree a couple of years ago, without the backing and experience of his predecessor, but they must have seen something interesting in him to dismiss such a prestigious team and entrust him with such responsibility.
Real Madrid is making a radical change in its medical services with the aim of turning around a situation marked by injuries and muscle problems in the last two seasons. We will see if the trend changes in this new season.