Madrid, August 18: The Spanish football giant Real Madrid is reaping financial benefits from its youth system. Nineteen-year-old C-team player Jacob Ortega has joined RC Strasbourg for a record fee. This transfer has proven to be a significant advantage for Real Madrid.
Ortega, who was the top scorer for Real Madrid in the Youth League last season, has been signed by Strasbourg for €10 million (approximately $11.6 million). Following this deal, Ortega has become the most expensive player sold by Real Madrid who never played for the first team.
According to Real Madrid’s official website, “Real Madrid CF and RC Strasbourg Alsace have agreed on the transfer of our player Jacob Ortega. He joined Real Madrid at the age of 12 in 2018 and has been part of our youth academy for eight seasons.”
As reported by Xinhua, “Ortega has signed a five-year contract with Strasbourg. The club’s owner, Blueco, also owns Premier League team Chelsea.”
This summer, other youth team players have also generated income for Real Madrid. Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios earned nearly €50 million, while the club made about €20 million from sell-on rights following Victor Munoz’s move from Osasuna to Liverpool.
Additionally, South Korea’s Lee Kang-in explained his decision to join Atletico Madrid after leaving Paris Saint-Germain. He stated, “Since I was young, I knew what a great club looked like. When the opportunity to return to Spain arose, I could only think about joining Atletico and winning titles.”
Lee expressed his eagerness to play in La Liga again, saying, “Since I left Spain, I often thought about returning to play there because I grew up there.” He began his career with Valencia before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.
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