Real Madrid are generally known to casual football fans for their ability to attract the biggest names in the world and to assemble galactic teams with a plethora of star power.
However, more keen followers of the Merengue club, and Spanish and European football at large, also realize the degree of talent they develop in their youth academy, La Fabrica, which is one of the best in the world.
Several players from this academy have made their names at the highest level, either with Real Madrid or with other clubs, and it is not rare to see La Fabrica graduates make their way to a top division team every year.
Gonzalo Garcia shining in the FIFA Club World Cup
In the last few days, it has been the striker Gonzalo Garcia who has once again highlighted the quality coming through the Merengue academy with his incredible performances in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Now, another of Garcia’s former coaches, Hernan Perez, the current Spain U-17 coach, had the youngster under his command when he was the U-17 coach at Real Madrid, during the 2021-22 season.
Former Real Madrid U19 manager highlights Garcia‘s virtues
Hernan Perez recently appeared in an interview with Diario AS, and spoke very highly of the new sensation in Xabi Alonso’s team. When asked about what caught his attention while coaching Garcia, Perez said:
“His eagerness to work and his desire to learn more each day and improve with every training session. That character and ambition, along with his human quality, made me see that he could go very far. He was always very polite, even a bit shy, and everyone grew fond of him.“
Further talking about what makes the young forward special, Perez said:
“He was very good on the pitch and had a great understanding of the game, but what I really liked about him was how curious he was about tactical aspects. He asked a lot of questions, watched videos, and wanted to learn concepts to become a better player.”
“I’ve seen quite a few young footballers with Gonzalo’s qualities, but he stood out because of his professionalism, dedication, ambition, and drive to reach the top level. Many talented youngsters have fallen by the wayside because they lack these virtues — but he has them all.”
There have been some doubts about Garcia being a good striker because of his height, but the Spanish coach was clear that this would not affect him too much:
“He’s 1.82 meters tall, but he’s very intelligent, intuitive, and always plays with great focus, which allows him to handle difficult situations in matches. Moreover, his curiosity since childhood helps him read games very well, because if a player has good technical ability but doesn’t understand the game, it will be very hard for them to reach the top.”
Most notably, Perez was not shy of claiming that the young player can reach the level of Erling Haaland when asked about his ceiling:
“—Very high. The more demanding the level and the better coaches he has, the more he’ll grow. I think he can be a Real Madrid striker for ten or twelve years. I know the demands Real Madrid has, but I don’t think Gonzalo will be far behind Haaland if they give him the continuity and the prominence he needs. If he doesn’t have that confidence, he’ll fade, but if they believe in him, he’ll reach great heights.”
Comparing Gonzalo Garcia with a player as accomplished as Erling Haaland might be far-fetched for now, but it is still good to see one of his former coaches showing this confidence in the player. Hopefully, he will continue to showcase his talents to the world in the coming weeks, months, and years, and truly emerge as a top-class footballer.
