Four academy goalkeepers on the first team
Casillas, Adan, Tomas Mejias and Jesus work together on the first team; it's the first time since the 1985/86 season that four goalkeepers on the squad come from the academy
Alberto Navarro (Los Angeles) / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell
Four goalkeepers from the Real Madrid academy are working under Jose Mourinho in Los Angeles. Casillas, Adan, Tomas Mejias and Jesus coincide in the first team; the former has been acknowledged as the best goalkeeper in the world by the IFFHS three years running, while the other three made their official first team debut last season. The last time there were four goalkeepers from the academy on the first team was in the 1985/86 season, when Agustin, Ochotorena, Garcia Remon and Miguel Angel were together on the squad.
Casillas, Adan, Tomas Mejias and Jesus have proven once again that Real Madrid is the best place to become a goalkeeper. "This is unique to football," said Mourinho in a recent interview, "I can’t see any other side having three or four goalkeepers from its academy. They also represent three different generations of players. One of them is the best in the world; another has been promoted from third keeper to second; and our two youngest goalies will train with us." The coach has always highly praised Casillas, and he gave the other three the chance to make their first team debut last season.
Iker Casillas sets the perfect example for all goalies in the youth system. He made his La Liga debut on 12 September 1999 against Athletic Bilbao at San Mames and he has since earned a privileged place in the annals of Real Madrid history. Casillas has won two Champions League titles, four league trophies, two Intercontinental Cups, three Spanish Super Cups, one European Super Cup and one Copa del Rey with the team, as well as the 2010 World Cup and the Euro 2008 with Spain and countless individual accolades.
Antonio Adan is the team's current second goalkeeper. He was in the academy 13 years and made his first team debut on 8 December 2010 against Auxerre in the Champions League conceding no goals. He played the entire match against Levante in La Liga and practcally the entire games against Espanyol and Getafe, keeping a clean sheet in all three. Adan only conceded two strikes in the return leg of the Copa del Rey Last 16 against Levante. He played 411 minutes with the first team (269 in La Liga, 94 in the Copa and 48 in the UCL), conceding a strike every 205.5 minutes on average. He also won the Under-19 Euro with Spain in 2006.
Tomas Mejias came on for Adan on 10 May in a league match against Getafe after 10 years in the club's academy. Jesus made his first team debut two games after his teammate in a clash with Almeria. All this seems to indicate that, as Mourinho said, "this team’s goal may be kept by academy goalies for years to come."
Iker Casillas sets the perfect example for all goalies in the youth system. He made his La Liga debut on 12 September 1999 against Athletic Bilbao at San Mames and he has since earned a privileged place in the annals of Real Madrid history. Casillas has won two Champions League titles, four league trophies, two Intercontinental Cups, three Spanish Super Cups, one European Super Cup and one Copa del Rey with the team, as well as the 2010 World Cup and the Euro 2008 with Spain and countless individual accolades.
Antonio Adan is the team's current second goalkeeper. He was in the academy 13 years and made his first team debut on 8 December 2010 against Auxerre in the Champions League conceding no goals. He played the entire match against Levante in La Liga and practcally the entire games against Espanyol and Getafe, keeping a clean sheet in all three. Adan only conceded two strikes in the return leg of the Copa del Rey Last 16 against Levante. He played 411 minutes with the first team (269 in La Liga, 94 in the Copa and 48 in the UCL), conceding a strike every 205.5 minutes on average. He also won the Under-19 Euro with Spain in 2006.
Tomas Mejias came on for Adan on 10 May in a league match against Getafe after 10 years in the club's academy. Jesus made his first team debut two games after his teammate in a clash with Almeria. All this seems to indicate that, as Mourinho said, "this team’s goal may be kept by academy goalies for years to come."
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