Real Madrid produce the highest volume of starting-caliber young prospects in European football, and they have already found another one in Thiago Pitarch. According to a report from MARCA, manager Alvaro Arbeloa is considering starting him in the coming matches, and Pitarch is expected to become a regular starter in the XI soon.
This season, Real Madrid have already made 18-year-old playmaker Franco Mastantuono, striker Gonzalo Garcia, and right back David Jimenez key parts of the team, not wanting to miss out on the likes of Nico Paz and Alex Jimenez who are shining in other European leagues (and now Endrick, too).
Victor Valdepenas is another player who has started for Real Madrid and even earned keen transfer interest from another elite European club in Arsenal over in the Premier League.
But Pitarch is a fresh face for Arbeloa to consider, and it’s clear that the newest Real Madrid manager does not want to repeat the ills of his predecessors by holding back potential gems.
Pitarch is an 18-year-old center midfielder with dual Spanish and Moroccan citizenship who is one of the club’s best midfield prospects, already valued highly for his technical ability, creativity, and even ability to score goals from beyond the box.
He is a prodigy, and even before the season started, Real Madrid were already contemplating him as a Dani Ceballos replacement. Now that Ceballos is out for a couple of months, this is the perfect time for Arbeloa to let Pitarch shine.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.