Casemiro, Fabinho, Alvaro Morata and Lucas Vazquez - Real Madrid's Castilla 2013 team has provided M

Publish date: 2024-06-07

Real Madrid's star-studded Castilla side of 2013 were tipped for greatness - but only a few have fulfilled their potential.

Just two members of the 2012/13 squad are still on Los Blancos' books, with vice-skipper Nacho and Lucas Vazquez used regularly by Carlo Ancelotti.

Castilla - Real's reserve team - play in the Spanish league system and actually won the third-tier title in the 2011/12 campaign, where they instantly impressed in the Segunda Division.

Castilla finished in a respectable eighth, above ninth-place Barcelona B, with striker Jese Rodriguez banging in 22 goals.

Brazilian midfielders Casemiro and Fabinho were crucial members of the team.

But just one of the pair carved out a lengthy career at the Bernabeu - a decision the Spanish giants would later regret.

Real showed ruthlessness in selling the majority of their starlets, with few being given the chance to shine for the first team.

Here, talkSPORT.com looks at the highest-profile players from the 2013 Castilla squad and what they have achieved in the game.

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Casemiro

The 31-year-old joined Real's second team in 2013 on loan from Sao Paulo midway through the season, where he quickly became an integral part of the team.

After 15 league appearances, Real turned his temporary stay into a permanent switch with the player promoted to the first team for the following season.

A loan spell to Porto followed in the 2014/15 campaign, before he established himself as a key player for Real - featuring 336 times in all competitions prior to his switch to Manchester United last summer.

Casemiro won five Champions League crowns with Real along with three LaLiga titles, and is considered one of the club's best-ever defensive midfielders.

Fabinho

Like his compatriot, Fabinho joined on loan from Rio Ave for the 202/13 term, where he appeared in 30 matches.

His fine form saw him being given an opportunity for the first team in May 2013 in a 6-2 win against Malaga in what remains his only appearance for the senior side.

Real opted against permanently signing him, where he then joined Monaco - helping them win the Ligue 1 title in 2017.

It resulted in a move to Liverpool, where he has won six major trophies to establish himself as one of Europe's top players in his position.

Alvaro Morata

Morata scored 12 goals in 18 Segunda Division games which saw him promoted to the first team.

But after just ten goals across two LaLiga seasons, he was sold to Juventus where he won back-to-back Serie A titles, while spearheading the Old Lady to the Champions League final in 2015 where he scored in the 3-1 final defeat against Barcelona.

Incredibly, Morata scored in both semi-final legs against Real to dump the defending champions out of the European Cup.

His dazzling displays in Italy saw Real bring him back to the Bernabeu in a £26.3million deal - scoring 20 goals in 43 games to help his side win the LaLiga and Champions League.

After just one year back in Spain, he was sold to Chelsea for £60m, but failed to hit the heights expected of him.

Atletico Madrid swooped in to secure his services in January 2019, before he was loaned to Juve in 2020 for a second spell in Turin.

He returned to Atletico last summer, with the 30-year-old banging in seven LaLiga goals this season from 23 outings.

Lucas Vazquez

The versatile Spaniard started off his career as a right winger for Castilla, with the 31-year-old now operating as a right-back.

After three years with Castilla, Vazquez was loaned to Espanyol in 2014 where he featured in 39 games in all competitions.

Since coming back for the 2015/16 season, Vazquez has been an important player for Real where he has appeared in 297 games.

Often used as a back-up for Dani Carvajal, Vazquez has never finished a campaign with less than 23 outings for his boyhood club.

Nacho

The centre-back was Castilla's skipper, with the 33-year-old now Real's vice-captain after being promoted to first team duty in 2013.

Despite having 301 appearances to his name for the senior side, Nacho has often found himself out of the starting XI.

Over the years, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Eder Militao and Pepe have all been preferred ahead of the 22-cap Spain international.

But his love for Real has never seen Nacho kick up a fuss or seek a new adventure from the team he has been at since 2001.

Jese Rodriguez

Considered to be Real's golden boy, Jese broke Emilio Butragueno's 29-year record by scoring the most goals in a single season for the reserve team.

After being promoted, Jese became a regular for the first team, where he scored 18 goals in 94 matches in all competitions.

But he struggled for consistency having been used as a bench player, with Paris Saint-Germain snapping him up for £21.9m in 2016.

It turned out to be a disaster of a move, with Las Palmas bringing him back to Spain on loan just months later.

A loan switch to then-Premier League side Stoke followed, but he ultimately flopped in England after scoring just once from 13 top-flight outings.

PSG then shipped Jese off to Real Betis and Sporting Lisbon, before Las Palmas re-signed him.

Jese then made the move to Turkey last year to join newly-promoted MKE Ankaragucu, but he failed to settle, with the 30-year-old joining Italian outfit Sampdoria earlier this month.

Jota

Just like Casemiro and Fabihno, Jota was brought to Castilla on loan, but he didn't impress Real enough to sign him on a permanent deal.

He instead starred on loan at Eibar from Celta Vigo, with Brentford snapping him up in 2014, with playmaker Jota banging in 11 goals in his opening season in the Championship.

A fan favourite with the Bees, injuries limited the 31-year-old's game time, where he returned to Eibar on an 18-month loan in January 2016.

Birmingham then splashed out a club-record £6m to bring him back to England in 2017, where he then joined fierce rivals Aston Villa in a shock transfer two years later following their promotion to the Premier League.

In doing so, he reunited with ex-Brentford boss Dean Smith, but he couldn't replicate the same form that earned him the move to Villa Park, as he failed to score in any of his ten top-flight matches.

After a solitary season with Deportivo Alaves, Jota announced his decision to retire in 2021 - citing a lack of 'ambition' after falling out of love with football.

Diego Llorente

The defender made just one Castilla appearance in the 2012/13 season after being promoted from Real Madrid C.

He was a regular in the team over the next two campaigns, while he also made two senior appearances for the first team.

Loan spells to Rayo Vallecano and Malaga followed, before he was allowed to join Real Sociedad on a permanent deal.

His performances led Leeds to sign him for £18m in 2020, but he slowly started to fall down the pecking under Marcelo Bielsa and then Jesse Marsch.

Roma offered him an escape from his Elland Road nightmare in the winter transfer window, with Jose Mourinho's club completing a loan deal with an option to buy.

Derik Osede

Another ex-Castilla star that ended up in England, the 30-year-old made 11 appearances in the 2012/13 season.

Partnering Llorente in the heart of the defence until 2015, Real decided against offering Derik a new deal.

He subsequently joined Bolton on a free transfer, where he was part of the squad that was relegated to the Championship, before earning promotion from League One at the first time of asking.

After 71 outings for the Trotters, he returned to Spain to join Numancia, before linking up with Deportivo La Coruna.

He currently plays for third-tier side Pontevedra CF, who are in danger of relegation as they sit bottom of the table after 25 games.

Raul de Tomas

Real's Castilla side of 2013 boasted a wealth of attacking talent, with De Tomas another striker that came through the club's academy.

De Tomas, who scored 14 goals for Castilla, was given a first team run-out in the Copa del Rey in October 2014.

It remains his only outing for the senior side, with the 28-year-old sold to Benfica for £17.5m in 2019 after starring on loan at Cordoba, Real Valladolid and Vallecano.

Espanyol then splashed out the same fee to bring him back to Spain six months later, where he scored 45 goals in 89 games.

He re-joined Vallecano in January, but is still awaiting his first goal of the season.

Denis Cheryshev

The Russian winger banged in 22 goals in 109 games for Castilla - with 11 of his strikes coming in the 2012/13 term.

But he was never given a chance to impress for Los Blancos' first team, after being limited to just seven games.

Cheryshev was offloaded on loan three times, with Sevilla, Villarreal and Valencia all benefitting from his arrival.

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