End of tradition
Commitment to career has been one of Celta’s hallmarks since the 2008–09 season, when, under Eusebio Sacristan, the heavenly side selected home-grown talent to take the team back to the First Division. Since 13 December 2008, the heavenly team’s eleven has always included at least one player from home.
This tradition was broken yesterday against Almeria after 675 games. Rafa Benitez has decided not to use any youth academy players for the first time in fifteen years and two months. The loss of Iago Aspas, the player who showed his talent best, was a key factor in the decision of the Madrid coach. Without Aspas in the equation, Benitez had Ivan Villar, who had replaced Vicente Guaita in goal since October, Kevin Vazquez, a third option at right-back, and Carlos Dominguez as candidates to maintain the tradition, but he chose to opt for other alternatives.
The absence of local players from Celtic’s squad for the first time in over 15 years confirms the decapitalization of the youth team that has plagued Celta in recent years. Since the team’s return to the First Division, Quarry has become an important part of Celtic’s eleven, forming the core of the team that reached the Europa League semi-finals under Eduardo Berizzo. Besides Aspas, the best Spanish striker in La Liga over the past decade, important figures such as Hugo Maglio, Johnny Otto and Sergio Alvarez, who are currently on the club’s board of directors, stood out. Later, this group of young players was joined by others, such as Ruben Blanco, who alternated between Sergio in goal. Later, Brais Mendes arrived, led by Juan Carlos Unzue, and two seasons later, in the so-called Operation Return, Denis Suarez and Santi Mina joined, two talents trained at A Madroa that Celta were unable to retain in the past and which, for various reasons, they were forced to leave Celta through the back door.
The sale of Bryce and Ruben Blanco, a conflict with Carlos Mourinho that led to Denis’s ostracism and departure, a conviction for sexual assault that led to the sacking of Santi Mina, and the decision not to renew Hugo Maglo’s contract left Hugo. Mallo under the ledge career in the first heavenly team is minimal.
Although the subsidiary has new values emerging, some of them, such as Carlos Domínguez, Miguel Rodríguez or Hugo Sotelo, already play a leading role in the First Division, the sale of Gabri Veiga, the last great representative of A Madroa, and the arrival of a large number of young players have slowed down the contribution of local talent to the core team. Celta have a bigger squad this season. With the arrival of three winter players, the blue team has occupied 25 places with an increasingly dwindling number of young players who have the opportunity to start with Rafa Benitez, who, after being asked about the possibility of starting without young players against Almeria, He limited himself to indicating: “There are those in my eleven whom I consider better. Any fan who remembers the 2001 Cup final when they look at the line-up… You have to point out the ones you think are the best and that’s it.”