Real Madrid’s academy has long been regarded as one of the finest in the world, consistently producing young footballers with top-level potential.
While only a select few break through into the first team, the club has mastered the art of generating major profits from those who leave.
No position has highlighted this better in recent years than the full-backs, where Madrid continue to strike lucrative deals.
This summer alone, Los Blancos collected €22 million from three different sales linked to academy full-backs.
Rafael Obrador joined Benfica in a deal worth €5 million, while Youssef Enriquez Lekhedim, Yusi, moved to Alaves for €3 million, with Madrid retaining 50% of both players’ rights.
The standout deal, however, was Miguel Gutierrez. The left-back’s move from Girona to Napoli has brought Madrid an extra €9 million, thanks to the 50% sell-on clause they had previously negotiated.
Added to the €4 million they received when he joined Girona in 2022, his total contribution to Madrid’s accounts has reached €13 million.
Historic profits from academy defenders
Sergio Reguilon was sold for €30 million to Tottenham. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
According to AS, over the past five years, Real Madrid have earned an astonishing €103.1 million from youth-team full-backs alone.
The biggest sale remains Achraf Hakimi, who was sold to Inter Milan in 2020 for €43 million during the height of the pandemic.
When Inter later sold him to PSG, Madrid earned an additional €2.1 million through the solidarity mechanism.
Sergio Reguilon is another prime example. He was sold to Tottenham Hotspur for €30 million, becoming one of the most profitable homegrown sales in club history.
Other academy products have also brought in steady income. Alex Jimenez, for instance, was sold to AC Milan in 2024 for €5 million before even making it to Castilla.
Marvin Park, converted from a winger to a right-back, fetched €2 million from Las Palmas.
Javi Hernandez, capable of playing both centre-back and left-back, moved to Leganes in 2020 for €500,000.
Then there are the cases of Alvaro Carreras and Fran Garcia, both of whom have returned. The former joined Benfica for €5 million, while the latter joined Rayo Vallecano for €5 million in 2021.