Chapter 574: Rise of Youth Training
As July drew to a close, teams in La Liga began to gather one after another, and the schedule for the new season was announced. Unlike previous seasons, the first round of matches would kick off on August 19th, earlier than the Spanish Super Cup and the UEFA Super Cup matches.
This was extremely unfavorable for Real Madrid, as they would need to play five matches in just 11 days, a schedule that could be described as devilish.
However, this could also be considered a happy problem. Without winning so many championships last season, how would the Galacticos have the opportunity to compete in two super cups?
After discussions between head coach Ancelotti and the club's top management, it was decided to rotate the squad appropriately, without deliberately pursuing somewhat trivial honors, but rather preserving strength for more important matters.
Real Madrid's summer plans mainly included European warm-up matches and a tour of North America. This time, they did not choose to go to China. Firstly, because they had visited China in the previous few years, which could lead to aesthetic fatigue, and secondly, because North America also had a huge commercial market.
Before the training camp began, the players gradually returned to Valdebebas in groups of two or three. Similar to the Santiago Bernab��u, Valdebebas was also undergoing extensive construction and renovation. Florentino invested a huge amount of money to improve all aspects of the hardware facilities, aiming to make Real Madrid the most magnificent club in the world.
Players like Alonso and Ramos, who had participated in the European Championship, maintained good physical condition. However, players like Di Maria, who had enjoyed a vacation of over a month, looked somewhat pitiful, visibly gaining a bit of weight.
"Wang Feng, you're truly amazing. Even during the break without matches, why is your body always able to stay in such perfect condition?" After being "tortured" by Ancelotti, the Argentine couldn't help but ask in admiration.
The Chinese superstar shrugged, "I make sure to find time every day to exercise and keep my body in the same state. Actually, you can try it too. By monitoring some indicators, you can understand your own changes."
Ordinary players could only vaguely sense the changes happening in their bodies, so they needed to measure specific values. Wang Feng was different; his control over his body was extremely precise, so the efficiency of his training could reach its highest level.
Hearing this, Di Maria couldn't help but show a embarrassed smile. Perhaps he could persist for a while, but consistently maintaining the same routine every day was indeed impossible for him, or perhaps, besides the Chinese superstar, no one else in the world could do it.
"Your efforts deserve all the honors you receive."
After a series of intensive high-intensity training sessions, the main players of Real Madrid finally returned to their normal match level. Although everyone complained endlessly, with a superstar like Wang Feng leading the way and young players from the youth academy eager to prove themselves, no one wanted to fall behind.
Real Madrid boasted one of the best youth academies in world football. Although it didn't have the prestigious reputation of Barcelona's La Masia, it had produced legendary players like the "Five Eagles" series.
Moreover, due to the presence of many big names in the first team, it was difficult for young players from Real Madrid's youth academy to stand out in their own club, but they were considered cost-effective gems for other teams.
According to authoritative media statistics, in the past ten years, Real Madrid had earned over �100 million in revenue by selling players from their youth academy.
Players like Carvajal, Jos�� Lu, Negredo, Soldado, and Rodr��guez left because they couldn't find opportunities at the Bernab��u, but they quickly became core players for other teams.
Therefore, Florentino had the confidence not to compete for other strong signings in the summer, and Ancelotti had the confidence not to guarantee anyone a starting position. Whoever was in poor form would be benched!
For example, last season, due to injuries and poor form, Higua��n gradually lost playing time to Morata. He told the media that he would perform better in the new season and prove his worth to the head coach.
"I hope to get more playing time and surpass my statistics from last season. Of course, this depends on my performance in the future. Everything depends on myself."
The Argentine had once wanted to leave Real Madrid, but now he dispelled that thought. "I want to continue to follow the team and create history together. We are the best club."
Real Madrid's first warm-up match was scheduled at the Nuevo Carlos Tartiere Stadium against Real Oviedo from the Segunda Division.
With Di Maria scoring twice, Real Madrid thrashed their opponents 5-0. Wang Feng, the Chinese superstar, watched from the bench, while Ancelotti continuously rotated 15 youth players during the match, proving that they could also perform well.
Among them, the young player Denis Cheryshev, born in the 1990s, scored in his first appearance, performing remarkably well. He became the first Russian player to make an appearance for Real Madrid in the club's 110-year history.
At the same time, Barcelona also played a warm-up match, winning 2-1 against Cordoba.
Careful media observation revealed that in the two matches, Real Madrid fielded a total of 11 players from their own youth academy, who showed excellent form, while Barcelona only fielded 5 La Masia players.
"European Sports" commented, "Real Madrid's youth academy has overwhelmed Barcelona's youth academy for the first time." They stated that Real Madrid's youth academy was healthy, energetic, and talented, gradually gaining trust from the outside world.
Barcelona's results had already been overshadowed, and if they couldn't even surpass their arch-rivals in youth training, then they would truly lose all hope of turning things around in the future.
The second warm-up match took place at the Estadio da Luz, where Di Maria and Coentr?o led Real Madrid to face their former club Benfica, marking the 5th edition of the Eus��bio Cup.
Eus��bio was a legendary figure in Portugal who had led the national team to win third place in the World Cup. During his time at Benfica, he had a close relationship with Real Madrid.
At that time, Eus��bio led Benfica to the UEFA Champions League final, facing Real Madrid, who had won five consecutive championships. In the first half, despite conceding two goals, Eus��bio's team frequently counterattacked and scored, eventually winning 5-3.
Therefore, many people believed that in order to end Real Madrid's streak of consecutive championships, another legendary star needed to emerge, and Cristiano Ronaldo, also a Portuguese, was once favored for this role.
It turned out that he was far behind his predecessors, both at club and international level, and Cristiano Ronaldo needed to continue working hard.
The warm-up match ended with Real Madrid losing 3-4, and Ancelotti once again fielded several young players, with Wang Feng still not getting any playing time.
Both within the team and in the public opinion, this was considered an acceptable defeat, as the performance of the young players was surprising.
After two European tours, the entire Real Madrid team boarded a plane to the United States, with their first destination being Los Angeles, California, to challenge LA Galaxy of the MLS.
Ancelotti fielded a starting lineup consisting of the main players. Just 51 seconds into the game, Wang Feng scored the opening goal assisted by Di Maria, shocking the fans in attendance.
Everyone could feel his eagerness for goals!
Then, the Chinese superstar scored three more goals within 30 minutes, achieving a fantastic four-goal haul. Callej��n, Morata, and Jes�� each scored a goal as well, securing a 7-1 victory.
LA Galaxy's only goal came from Beckham's trademark free-kick. After the match, he approached Wang Feng with a wry smile and said, "You really don't give us any face."
The Chinese superstar apologized repeatedly, as his excitement from scoring goals after nearly two months without a match got the better of him today.
Next, they defeated Santos Laguna 2-1, AC Milan 3-2, and Celtic 2-0, achieving a perfect record in the pre-season warm-up matches in the United States.
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