2 Sub-17 playing for Real Madrid Youth Squad

Players from eleven different countries support the social integration of immigrants

There are really no language and nationality boundaries in football. A goal is the same anywhere in the world. A good example of this is the youth system at Real Madrid, which comprises 20 different nationalities. Practicing football has allowed many of these children -several of which recently arrived in Spain- to learn Spanish and to make their first friends in this country. Some of them stood in a picture together to support the Just Causes campaign, which this month focuses on the social integration of immigrants.

Alfredo Di Stéfano was one of the first immigrants to be successful in Spanish football. After a long career, he is now Real Madrid's Honourary President and the main stadium at Real Madrid City is named after him. Therefore, there couldn't be a better place to bring together some of the children who play on the Club's youth system than this stadium. Colombia, Argentina, Ecuatorial Guinea, Romania, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Israel, Denmark... Many different nationalities met at Valdebebas for a picture in support of the Just Causes campaign, which this month fights for the social inegration of immigrants.

"I learned Spanish thanks to football"
Miguel Larsson and Denis Tcheryshev, Swede and Russian respectively, both play on Real Madrid's Under-20 B side. "I started playing football as a child and joined Real Madrid after playing for Racing Santander," says the former, who moved to the Canary Islands with his family shortly after he was born in Sweden, "I've learned a lot here. My teammates are from many different countries."



"I was born in a Russian town," says Denis, "I came here when my Dad signed for Sporting Gijon. That's where I started to play football. I carried on there after my father joined Burgos. Real Madrid saw me in a tournament six years ago and signed me. Everyone has treated me well here since the very beginning. I've always felt like the rest. I never played football in Russia. I started here. I learned Spanish by talking to my teammates. I spoke it well after the first four months."

"We try to help our new teammates"
Micael Agudo and Cristian Felipe are teammates on the Under-15 B team. 'Mica' is from Argentina. "I was born in Buenos Aires, where I played until I was eight years old," he says, "I played on the football team of my district during my first year in Spain. It was easy to adapt for me because I already spoke Spanish. We try to help our teammates who don't speak the language. You learn a lot from foreigners. Argentinian football is much faster and it has less touch on ball. I am a winger, so I run a lot."

"I arrived here when I was five years old," says his Colombian teammate, "I've learned to play better at Real Madrid. My Dad has also helped me a lot. I signed for Real Madrid when I had been in Spain for five months; I tested for them. They told me I looked like Roberto Carlos. There is a great atmosphere here; we have a lot of fun. Football has been very useful to me. Míchel, Gallego and Isidro have helped me feel comfortable here."

Real Madrid's youth system sets a great multicultural example, befitting of the world we live in. It is a mix of cultures and people from completely different countries that are brought together by their passion for football and Real Madrid. The Club instills in them sporting values as assets for them to integrate in Spanish society at a very young age; a very 'just cause.'

The players in the picture are:
Ricardo Longo, Romania, seven yars old.
Micael Agudo, Argentina, thirteen years old.
Crisian Felipe Flores, Colombia, thirteen years old.
Rubén Darío González, Colombia, fourteen years old.
Delfín Musibe, Ecuatorial Guinea, fifteen years old.
Andreas Laudrup, Denmark, seventeen years old.
Miguel Larsson, Sweeden, seventeen years old.
Nir Mansouri, Israel, seventeen years old.
Denis Tcheryshev, Russia, seventeen years old.
Christopher Schorch, Germany, eighteen years old.
Gary Kagelmeicher, Uruguay, nineteen years old.
Santiago Hernán Villafañe, Argentina, nineteen years old.
Adam Szalai, Hungary, twenty years old.

 

hey its weierd, he signed with Real Madrid at 6? Thats kind of disturbing, regardless, I guess these were kids Pinto was talking about a couple of months ago...

 

they are still young, or this may also be a program for kids to have an opportunity..I don't know.