Labelled as one of the finest football academies around, Real Madrid’s highly-lauded La Fábrica has produced numerous prodigies who have stood out over the years. And, one of its most recent products has been regarded as extra special. With Endrick missing the Club World Cup due to injury and Kylian Mbappé struggling with illness following the team’s arrival in the United States, new coach Xabi Alonso decided to look to the academy for extra firepower. Enter Gonzalo García, who has captivated fans with his clinical touch in front of goal, having scored four times to lead Real Madrid to the semi-finals of the tournament. Click this link https://a.meridianbet.ke/c/C7pYjz to start gaming and stand a chance of winning big with Meridianbet.
A late winner followed by an eye-catching record
This is not the first time Gonzalo has shown Real Madrid fans what he is capable of. Having joined the club’s academy at the age of 10, he climbed up the ranks before making his league debut under Carlo Ancelotti in November 2023 against Cádiz CF. His 35 goals in 2022/23 allowed Los Blancos’ Juvenil A side to celebrate a domestic treble, with Gonzalo securing a promotion to Real Madrid Castilla.
The 21-year-old remained on Ancelotti’s radar, with the former Real Madrid boss giving the youngster his opportunity to shine in last season’s Copa del Rey quarter-final against CD Leganés. Gonzalo came off the bench with the score at 2-2 away at the Estadio Municipal Butarque and netted a third in stoppage time, clinching his team a spot in the semi-finals. Then, he went on to finish last campaign on 25 goals for Real Madrid Castilla, setting a new all-time record in Spain football’s third tier.
The ‘new Raúl’ at Xabi Alonso’s disposal
Gonzalo may have mainly played up front in the Club World Cup, but he can comfortably feature in any position in Real Madrid’s attack. What sets him apart is his natural ability to head the ball home, a virtue that might prove crucial for Xabi Alonso when Los Blancos need to unlock deep blocks. “He dominates the header,” Hernán Pérez Cuesta, who coached Gonzalo at Juvenil A in 2021/22, told El País. “He has a very powerful lower body, very strong quads, very strong calves. Now almost all strikers are about going into space. But he has the header, which a lot of the big guys don’t have. That is very useful for Real Madrid, who sometimes have games that get stuck, with teams that sit deep at home. And they didn’t have a finisher.”
In fact, Gonzalo’s extraordinary finishing touch has already drawn comparisons with Raúl González, who coached his prodigy at Real Madrid Castilla. Even Xabi Alonso, who coincided with Raúl in his first season as a player at Los Blancos, admitted that Gonzalo’s moves on the pitch remind him of the Real Madrid legend.
“To be honest, for me it’s not such a big surprise what he’s doing because he’s a typical number 9,” Alonso said. “He reminds me in some things of Raúl: he is always in the right position, always waiting for the opportunity, always with a great work ethic helping the team.”
Asked about the comparisons, Gonzalo is staying humble but revealed that Raúl’s mentorship has helped him develop over the last few years. “Raúl is a Real Madrid legend,” he noted. “It is a great compliment to be compared to him, respecting the distances. I have had the opportunity to share a dressing room with him as a coach these last two years and he has taught me many things that I hope to put into practice. He has written to me after every game. We keep in touch. He congratulates me and tries to help me in situations that may suit me better for the following games.”
Gonzalo’s important contributions this summer might have earned him a spot with the seniors ahead of the much-anticipated 2025/26 LALIGA EA SPORTS season. Having already become a fan favourite, the Real Madrid academy product has earned an opportunity to cement his place with the first team by following in Raúl’s footsteps. It now remains to be seen what the future holds for one of Spanish football’s most exciting rising stars.
