A new duo on the verge of leaving Real Madrid
The farewell draws near..
Manuel Ángel and David Jiménez keep grafting inside "La Fábrica", though both know their futures now lie away from Real Madrid. They're waiting for the right offer, with clubs across Spain's first and second divisions and other European leagues circling.
Real Madrid's revenues from selling academy players have hit a record 199 million euros, and this pair are next out of the door after Jacobo Ortega. That's why both have been kept out of Castilla's friendlies and official matches, a precaution to avoid any injury that could scupper a decisive move, according to Spanish newspaper "AS".
Manuel Ángel: the mastermind
Manuel Ángel came within touching distance of leaving last summer. Several clubs chased him hard, Levante most insistently of all, while Aston Villa also tried to sign him. He chose to stay for another season.
He wore the captain's armband last term under Álvaro Arbeloa and then López de Lerma, and rounded off his campaign with a spell around the first team. There he played 7 matches for a total of 129 minutes, proving his level is fit for a higher standard.
At 22 years old and 170 centimetres tall, Manuel joined Real Madrid's academy in 2014. He's rated as one of the standout talents of the famous treble generation led by Arbeloa, a group that included Nico Paz, Gonzalo, Palacios and Jacobo Ramón. Arbeloa called him "a player who completely changes the course of a match".
His lack of height counts for little. He dominates midfield with his intelligence and can play with both feet to equal effect, taking free kicks off his right and his left. As those inside the club joke: "Even he himself doesn't know whether he's right-footed or left-footed!".
After 12 years at Valdebebas, the interest around him is set to turn into formal offers so he can start a new chapter.
David Jiménez: Arbeloa's right-hand man
From the brain to the glove comes David Jiménez, Manuel Ángel's teammate from that same treble generation, who came close to 20 assists in an exceptional season.
Many at Valdebebas call Jiménez Arbeloa's right-hand man on the pitch and reckon he owns "the best right foot in the academy". He's an attacking full-back to his core, a menace in the opponent's half and the go-to man for set pieces, with the calmness of a midfielder in possession.
"He surges forward with all his might, he has the personality of a leader and the touch of Carvajal", is how the academy sums him up. His strong personality mirrors that of Arbeloa himself, his childhood idol and, later, one of his biggest backers.
Born in 2004 and an academy arrival in 2013, the 1.70-metre Jiménez played his most recent 153 minutes with the first team last season, 91 of them under Xabi Alonso, and left a real mark on the coaches. He has enough experience to launch himself beyond the Real Madrid bubble, waiting for the spark that will ignite his new career. Everyone is sure it's coming.
A summer exceeding 200 million euros
Once Manuel Ángel and David Jiménez go, Real Madrid's revenues from selling academy players will break the 200 million euros barrier. The 10 million euros landing from the Jacobo Ortega deal tips the total from 199 million past that mark.
Some inside Valdebebas predicted exactly this when they spoke of a "historic summer". It's now coming true, with the club holding sell-on percentages on many players for the future.
The players sold so far read as follows: Nico Paz (60 million euros), Gonzalo (40 million euros), Víctor Muñoz (20.5 million euros), Gila (15 million euros), Álvaro Rodríguez (12.5 million euros), Álex Jiménez (12.5 million euros), Palacios (10 million euros), Jacobo Ortega (10 million euros), Fran García (4 million euros), Mario Martín (3 million euros) and Fran González (3 million euros). There's significant interest in others too, among them Sisteró, Yáñez and Juan Martínez.
