When we found out about the existence of a tournament called the La Liga FC Futures Mundial, it felt like something we’d invented in a dream. So, naturally, we sent our man Tom Ritchie to Madrid, to discover exactly what the hell was going on. Enjoy…

Words: Tom Ritchie

Image credits: La Liga

It's a balmy spring evening on the outskirts of Madrid. In front of a packed stadium, David Sanchez picks up the ball. Wearing the famous white of Real Madrid, he ghosts past a Wydad Casablanca midfielder. In one motion, he stops the ball with his right foot, spins his body around in a balletic pirouette, and drags it with his left to evade another opponent. Just as he appears to pull back for a shot, he nudges the ball forward, sending a third defender sprawling. With his rivals in fits, and the Madrileños in attendance in raptures, he finally blasts the ball past a hapless keeper. 

It’s a beautiful, beautiful goal, the type that made Di Stefano, Raul, Zidane and Ronaldo folkloric figures in Los Blancos’ storied history. The only difference? David Sanchez stands at a smidge over 4 feet and has only just turned 11 years old. 

The wunderkind's wunder-goal comes on the first night of the LaLiga FC Futures Mundial, a 7-a-side tournament pitting the U12s from a glittering lineup of the globe’s pre-eminent clubs against each other. Both Madrid clubs are here, as well as other Spanish mainstays: Barcelona, Espanyol, Real Betis, Villareal, Valencia, Sevilla and Real Betis. 

A roving pack of pibes donning the colours of River Plate and Boca Juniors bring a ferocious commitment to the cause, while the little nippers representing Flamengo and Palmeiras keep the jogo bonito tradition alive and well. European heavyweights including Arsenal, PSG, Inter Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and Galatasaray are duelling for continental supremacy, with Wydad Casablanca, Inter Miami and Shanghai Port ensuring this is a truly inter-continental affair. 

While this iteration of the tournament is the first to truly embrace a ‘Club World Cup’ feel, these youth team festivals are part of the fabric of Spanish football, and have welcomed foreign clubs for decades. 

This edition of the tournament is played on the municipal pitch of the town of Brunete, a sleepy outpost of the Spanish capital, with a population of 4,000. It is the home of Jose Ramon de la Morena, a retired journalist. In 1995, he invited regional U12 teams to his manor for a tournament, before opening the doors to the top division youth teams a year later. For the past 30 years, the tournament has hosted the future stars of the Spanish national team including Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Iker Casillas and Lamine Yamal, while budding prospects from foreign lands, such as Marcus Rashford (of England, of course), have also appeared. The various iterations of the tournament have been held in Grana Canaria, and even the US, but for this special occasion, it was only right for a return to its spiritual home. 

“It was very important for us to come back to Brunete for sentimental reasons,” Jose Ramon tells MUNDIAL. “Years ago this was just a pitch with nothing around it, now we have built a stadium. It’s a bit of a Cinderella story.”

Ramon explains that the original idea of the tournament came in the aftermath of the 1992 Olympics, held in Barcelona. An influx of investment in sporting infrastructure in Spain, meant the opportunity to push football forward was there. 

“The objective was to take Spanish football academies to the next level,” he explains. “There’s great weather most of the year, we have a great diet, the food shortages that my parent’s generation suffered are over. 

“We had all of the natural ingredients for this tournament to come together and be a success. We could build a tournament that could bring on the next generation of stars. So we started in 1992, and by 2010, Spain became world champions.”

While you may think that link might be overblown, it’s clear that the Spanish-speaking football public sees these events as a key part of the players' development. Major publications such as AS and Mundo Deportivo have sent journalists to cover every result, while several Argentinian scribes have flown over too. Every kick of the tournament is covered by a national broadcaster. The cultural relevance of the tournament has clearly trickled down to the local youngsters, too. 

“When they start getting into the academy setups, this becomes like their professional league,” says Jose Ramon. 

Lucas, a diminutive midfielder plying his trade for Real Betis confirms that idea. “It’s very important for me to play football in general, but especially in a tournament of this level.” 

He says the best player he saw at this age was Iniesta. Of course it bloody was.

And the level is high. The youngsters on display have nigh-on immaculate techniques to man, with most games played at a competitive level. With their fundamentals so secure and the boys at a similar level in their physical development — bar one or two notable exceptions — it’s easy to forget you’re watching lads that have only just left primary education.

Some of the skill on display is truly jaw-dropping. Sanchez’ wonder goal against Wydad comes a little over an hour after Paulo, a lithe and sauntering playmaker-cum-striker for Palmeiras scores an acrobatic overhead kick. The 11-year-old is already a personality in Brazil; I’m told by a journalist from Sao Paulo that he’s ‘The Next Estevao’. Barcelona’s talismanic bagsman, rather aptly named Destiny, completes a breathtaking hat trick in La Blaugrana’s opener. Aday knits everything together for a tidy Espanyol outfit, his blonde bouncing ponytail, perfectly tucked in shirt, fierce tackles and expert marshalling of the ball reminiscent of an Emmannuel Petit that got shrunk in the wash. Betis’ exploits are underpinned by the titanic figure of Candela, a centre back with physical gifts in spades but an uncanny ability to dribble the ball out of defence like the liberos of yore. Jose Ramon says he thinks David Sanchez, the mazy dribbler of Real Madrid is the player on display that could go the furthest in his career. (For the record, he says the best player he saw at this age was Iniesta. Of course it bloody was.) 

Even when they speak to me, a speccy journalist they don’t know from Adam, the young lads tend to comport themselves with admirable levels of professionalism. 

“The tournament’s going really well, the facilities are nice, the pitch is excellent to play. And the boys are having fun,” says Frankie, with the calm surety of a fifteen-year pro talking to Geoff Shreeves. 

“We’re used to it now,” says his mate Mathias, when I ask him about the cameras and the crowds. 

“All the tours we go on now there are crowds,” agrees Frankie. “But this is probably on another level with the number of people.” 

The Gunners final group game comes on the third day of the tournament, and has been slated in front of a slew of classic derbies. There’s River vs Boca; Barca vs Espanyol; Flamengo vs Palmeiras, and finally Atletico vs Real. 

A local fan group of Boca fans are in full throat support, bringing a mini-Bombonera feel to this sleepy suburb of Madrid. Prior to the Derbi Madrileno, the 2,000-seater stadium is packed to the gills, with locals craning their necks over fences to catch a peak of this pint-sized battle for local supremacy. Los Blancos need to win by four clear goals, to qualify for the latter stages. Living up to their club’s reputation of pulling out scintillating victories, they duly win 4-0. 

That victory solidifies a final eight of heavy hitters. PSG muscle their way past Palmeiras. Arsenal lose agonisingly on penalties to Flamengo, while Betis and Barca progress out of the Spanish half of the bracket; Barcelona besting Real Madrid 2-1 thanks to an all-action display by the tiny number 8, Hugo. 

As the stakes get higher, there are flashes of how heavy some of this must weigh on such young lads. The loss in the penalty shootout inevitably brought tears from the Arsenal players. Is it right for those moments to be caught in high-definition for a national television audience? How are the clubs preparing these lads for the pressure? 

“I think coming to these environments definitely helps them prepare for more scrutiny,” says Keiran Lewis, a coach with Arsenal. “It’s about increasing their exposure incrementally. I think we’re doing it at the right rate, so they can feel outside of their comfort zone but in an appropriate way.”

It's a trade-off that is understandably tricky to get right. If the intention is to treat these young lads like budding professionals and to give them a truly special or unique experience, counter-balances must be found. The opening ceremony, for example, closed with a Spain against the Rest of The World exhibition match, with the rival teams coached by World Cup winners in Bernd Schuster and Vicente Del Bosque. With that added pageantry comes greater expectations, and demands that must be managed. To their credit, each club clearly took safeguarding of the kids incredibly seriously, and while there were tears after big defeats, it wasn’t long before you’d catch glimpses of those same players mingling with their opponents, messing about with their teammates, or catching a moment with their loved ones in the crowd. 

That travelling support reached a frenzy during the semi-finals, a pair of tense affairs that would see Flamengo eke out a 2-1 win over PSG and Betis comfortably dispatch Barcelona 2-0. 

The final — played over twenty minute halves — was again tense. Flamingo took the lead thanks to a beautiful solo effort from the bustling Carlos Leonardo. Betis set about their riposte in a professional manner, holding onto the ball and working their opponents from side-to-side. Eventually the pressure told, as Ameri bundled home the equaliser, before Jasper’s sweetly struck back-stick volley gave Betis the lead in the dying embers. A final long-range strike from Antonio solidified a 3-1 win for Los Verdiblancos. 

The scenes of celebration are akin to a marquee final in the big leagues. Players crumple to the ground, coaches run on in jubilation, eventually the victors offer a hand of reconciliation to their opponent. If the goal is to treat these young lads like the stars of tomorrow, to get them up to speed with the rhythms of elite sport, the scrutiny and the expectations, then I’d say mission achieved.