Real Madrid enter race to sign 18-year-old Cameroon wonderkid
Real Madrid are having their busiest summer in some time, and that extends to their Castilla side. Los Blancos have been linked with a move for a forward this summer, albeit it is low on their list of priorities, but they are searching for a new young talent to lead the line for their Castilla side.
It appears all but certain that Gonzalo Garcia Torres will move on this summer, as he looks to continue his progression. With little sign of an opportunity in the first team in the offing, he seems likely to depart the club in a sale. As such, Real Madrid are on the hunt to replace the man who this season equalled the goals record in one season for Castilla, striking 25 times in Primera RFEF.
Real Madrid interested in Christian Kofane
According to Rodra, Los Blancos have made Cameroonian teenager Christian Kofane their top target for the spot. The 18-year-old arrived at Albacete midway through this season from AS Nylon in Cameroon, scoring eight goals and providing an assist in 20 appearances. The imposing target man looks an impressive prospect already.
Image via Transfermarkt
However they are not alone in that pursuit, and despite having a €5m release clause, Los Blancos are not in pole position for his signature. Real Betis and Sevilla have shown interest, but it is Bayer Leverkusen who are set on paying said clause.
Villarreal talent also on Real Madrid radar
Interestingly, the next target that Real Madrid are looking at is also from Cameroon. Rodra continues on to say that Los Blancos have enquired about Villarreal forward Etta Eyong. The 21-year-old scored 19 goals and gave six assists for Villarreal B this season, and after making five appearances for the senior side, crucially grabbed a winner for the Yellow Submarine against Girona late in the season.
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New York Times
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- New York Times
The rise of Gonzalo Garcia, Real Madrid's breakthrough star of the Club World Cup
Real Madrid academy striker Gonzalo Garcia is having a life-changing Club World Cup. He came into the tournament in the background, almost an unknown player to the general public, and three starts later — due to Kylian Mbappe's acute gastroenteritis — everyone knows what he is capable of now. Gonzalo scored the first goal for Xabi Alonso's Madrid in the opener against Al Hilal, was involved in two of the three goals against Pachuca (one was an assist) and scored again against Salzburg. Advertisement 'I knew a lot (about him) because I've followed Castilla a lot,' explained Alonso after qualifying for the next round. 'For me, it's not so surprising what he's doing. He reminds me of Raul in many ways.' Gonzalo's story in the competition has been like a movie and now that he is a protagonist, something new about him becomes known every day. The latest is that the 21-year-old's grandfather, the bullfighter Manuel Torres-Cansino, was a cousin of the American actress Margarita Carmen Cansino, commonly known as Rita Hayworth. In other words, 1940s star Hayworth is Gonzalo's great aunt, so it could be said that success in the United States runs in the family. Few details describe the rapid development this 'canterano' (homegrown player) has experienced more significantly than the fan reactions to his name, with clear increasing noise, in each of the group-stage stadiums at the pre-match presentation ceremony. This boom has even meant that no one is now ruling out Gonzalo continuing to be a regular member of Alonso's first team, despite the fact that he landed in Miami with the general expectation that he would leave this summer in search of more minutes. 'It will depend on the club and the coach,' Gonzalo said on Wednesday. 'There is no decision yet,' Alonso said on Thursday. After speaking to sources inside and outside the club, talking anonymously to protect relationships, The Athletic tells you the full story of Real Madrid's surprise breakthrough star in the USA. Gonzalo arrived at La Fabrica, as Madrid's youth system is known, in 2014, joining Alevin B — the under-11 team — aged 10. He joined from youth club Jarama Race, in San Sebastian de los Reyes (northern Madrid), where he was coached by Daniel Ortiz between 2012 and 2014. 'He stood out for his speed — he flew! — and his level of responsibility despite his age,' Ortiz recalls. Advertisement In 2018, Gonzalo spent a season at Mallorca due to his family moving to Palma for his father's job (he works in the hospitality industry). A year later, he returned to the club and went on to make his first-team debut at the end of 2023 in the La Liga visit to Cadiz, under Carlo Ancelotti. The road to that first peak was far from easy, as in none of Gonzalo's first seasons after his return did he score more than 10 goals. 'At the beginning, he played more on the wing at Madrid, even as a full-back,' remembers Marc Cucalon, Madrid's 'next Xabi Alonso' who had to retire at 19 and is now part of the scouting team of management agency Unlimited Sports Management. 'When he came back from Mallorca, he struggled a bit, so the key was (Alvaro) Arbeloa in increasing his standards to very high levels.' Arbeloa, the former Real Madrid and Liverpool player, and the new Castilla coach from this summer, was able to see in Gonzalo what no one else could in order to enhance his qualities and polish his deficiencies. Gonzalo scored 35 goals with the Juvenil A in the 2022-2023 season, leading his team to a historic national treble. The statistics are especially spectacular taking into account the player's previous records and the fact that he played many games as a left winger. One of Gonzalo's qualities is his versatility, as he can play in any position in attack. Alonso took advantage of this against Pachuca, where Gonzalo started as a No 9 but when Raul Asencio was sent off, he moved to the left flank and Vinicius Junior was the striker. But perhaps his greatest hallmark is his mentality and ambition. 'He is a very good person and has always been very focused,' explains Cucalon, 'The typical boy with the highest grades and the best in everything, with a family (he has a brother and a sister) that is amazing. Advertisement 'And he takes everything to the fullest. When we played pachangas (pick-up games) with his friends, he would take it like a Champions League final. Then we'd play PlayStation and it's the same thing. He doesn't leave anything behind.' 'He's f****** sick!'' says a coach who knows him from the Real Madrid academy. 'He works hard, he puts in a brutal intensity, he is focused — and he doesn't give you a smile, whether you're the coach, the physical trainer or one of the team-mates with more quality. 'If you don't pass to him, he makes you see that you have to pass to him; if you don't work well, he makes you see that you don't work well. He doesn't hold back. All that is in a good sense: he has personality and is very committed both to the team and to himself.' There is an anecdote that also speaks to Gonzalo's mindset. In the final of the Copa de Campeones de Juvenil (Spanish football's biggest youth trophy) in 2023, Gonzalo failed to defend in a corner that ended with the Betis goal. At half-time, he said in the dressing room that he would make up for it and then promptly scored twice to fire Madrid to a 3-1 win. 🫂⚽️ ¡¡𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝗗𝗘𝗟 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗔𝗗𝗥𝗜𝗗!! 🚀 Gran jugada de Nico Paz que acaba con un cabezazo de Gonzalo al fondo de la red. 🆚 @RBetisCantera 1-2 @lafabricacrm 📺 @vamos#CopaDeCampeones — RFEF (@rfef) May 20, 2023 His rise then was unstoppable and he maintained that magnificent dynamic at Real Madrid Castilla. After a season of adaptation with just five goals, former head coach Raul took advantage of the momentum and Gonzalo registered the all-time record of goals (25) in the 2024-25 season in Primera RFEF (the third tier). 'He's a kid with a lot of potential, with a very good physique, a very good finish and a very good shot,' says a Castilla coaching staff source. 'The only thing he has to have is patience, as he is one of those who wants to speed up the processes.' Advertisement There's that hunger again. 'He is the kind of player that highlights and uses that for his level of confidence to elevate him,' the source continues. 'They're not intimidated by anything. They believe until death in themselves.' Despite all this, it was not until last February that Gonzalo's name gained a little more notoriety among Madrid fans. The striker scored a header in the 93rd minute of the Copa del Rey quarter-final at Leganes, avoiding extra time and taking Madrid through to the semi-finals. Despite being 1.82m (5ft 11ins) tall, he showed, at Butarque, his impressive jump ability. Alonso's arrival has opened up a new horizon for him and other academy players. The other key factor in Gonzalo's emergence has been the injury to Endrick, who cannot play in the Club World Cup. Off the pitch, Garcia is studying a five-year double degree in business administration and direction and business analytics, with a specialism in big data. 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'Of course I'm convinced,' he said. 'That's what I'm working for and I've been working for since I entered the academy of Real Madrid.' If Gonzalo continues to live his American dream, he can continue to convince the rest.
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Palmeiras' Emiliano Martinez, right, and Botafogo's Rwan Cruz compete for the ball during the Club World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Palmeiras and Botafogo in Philadelphia, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates with teammate Gonzalo Garcia, left, after scoring his team's first goal during the Club World Cup Group H soccer match between Salzburg and Real Madrid in Philadelphia, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates with teammate Gonzalo Garcia, left, after scoring his team's first goal during the Club World Cup Group H soccer match between Salzburg and Real Madrid in Philadelphia, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Palmeiras' Emiliano Martinez, right, and Botafogo's Rwan Cruz compete for the ball during the Club World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Palmeiras and Botafogo in Philadelphia, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates with teammate Gonzalo Garcia, left, after scoring his team's first goal during the Club World Cup Group H soccer match between Salzburg and Real Madrid in Philadelphia, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Tobin Heath might know something about what makes soccer resonate within the U.S. Her resume, in part: She won NCAA titles in college at North Carolina, then went on to win two Olympic gold medals with the U.S. women's national team and two World Cup titles as well, all of that coming after she was inspired by the 1999 Women's World Cup. Advertisement And so far, she thinks the Club World Cup could have a similar effect. Heath — who is working as part of FIFA's technical study group for the tournament, alongside the likes of former Arsenal coach Arsène Wenger, former German star and U.S. men's national coach Jurgen Klinsmann and others — said Saturday that a match she attended earlier this month between Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors, with a full and jammed stadium in South Florida playing host to that matchup, shows what could be possible in this country. 'As an American, it was one of the coolest experiences of my life to witness that passion and energy,' Heath — during a FIFA briefing with the technical group — said. 'It's something I never believed I could see in my own country. And the stadium was literally shaking. You could feel it, and the fans were absolutely incredible. So, I know the power of these home competitions. ... I know the power of these games in our country, to change the landscape of this game in our country.' The attendance for the games in the Club World Cup has varied widely; some stadiums are jammed, some pretty much empty. With the tournament entering the knockout round and some strong matchups ahead — including Lionel Messi and Inter Miami taking on his former team, Paris Saint-Germain, on Sunday in Atlanta — there should be plenty of good crowds throughout the remainder of the event, as FIFA looks to build momentum toward the World Cup that's coming to North America next year. Advertisement 'This is a fantastic dress rehearsal for us,' Heath said. Only one U.S.-based team made the knockout stage: Messi's Inter Miami, though some wonder if that's a club that will have a true pronounced effect on soccer in this country. Messi is the biggest name in the sport and has an enormous following everywhere, one that obviously existed long before he came to Miami two years ago. 'Messi has not the best data of this tournament, but he's certainly the most influential player of this tournament — because without him Inter Miami would never qualify," Wenger said. The job of the technical study group is simple: watch all the matches, either live or on television (with the benefit of many screens and angles), assess style of play and determine what is making teams successful. The level of data collected from these matches is beyond deep; reports are more than 50 pages thick and measure everything from time it takes a team to recover possession after a giveaway to how hard players are sprinting at key times of a match. Advertisement 'This tournament has blown me away,' Heath said. 'It's made me even more excited for the summer to come, and I couldn't be more proud of this country. It shows that football is deeply embedded and deeply personal to our country. I can't wait to see the growth.' ___ AP soccer:
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Rumoured Real Madrid transfer target spotted wearing Blancos jersey
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