Where are they now? 5 Real Madrid academy graduates who retired prematurely
Real Madrid have produced plenty of world-class talents over the years, but not all of their academy graduates have made it at the top level.
While most professionals play into their late thirties, others end up hanging up their boots at a considerably younger age.
We’ve gone through Madrid’s former academy graduates and have found seven of them who retired early to see what they’re up to these days.
Marc Cucalon
Joining Los Blancos from the Zaragoza academy in 2016, Cucalon was described by AS as a “talented midfielder” often compared to Xabi Alonso.
But his destiny was altered entirely in Glasgow in September 2022 after rupturing his ACL.
He announced his retirement two years later after bacteria affected the cartilage in the joint of his knee, which is an uncommon infection to suffer in such cases.
Cucalon was only 19 when he quit the game. Never take anything for granted.
Ruben de la Red
De la Red quit football in 2010 after doctors advised against the continuation of his professional career due to a heart problem.
The midfielder, who was part of Spain’s Euro 2008-winning squad, collapsed three months later during Madrid’s Copa del Rey match against Real Union and never played again.
His retirement was announced in November 2010.
A graduate of Madrid’s youth system, De la Red scored one goal in 17 Liga appearances for the Merengues.
But he enjoyed the best spell of his career at Getafe, helping them reach the UEFA Cup quarter-finals and the Copa del Rey final in 2007-08.
Alvaro Dominguez
Dominguez spent two years with Madrid’s academy at the turn of the millennium, but actually came through the ranks across town with Atletico.
The defender made 76 appearances for Atleti and enjoyed three years in Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach between 2008 and 2011.
But he was forced to retire in 2016 at the age of 27 as a result of the chronic back problems, threatening to sue Gladbach for medical negligence.
That never happened, with Dominguez instead working to help Spanish players better manage their money post-retirement.
Javi Noblejas
Not much is known about Noblejas, who played 52 games for Madrid’s ‘B’ team in the early 2010s, without ever threatening a first-team breakthrough.
The left-back spent a half-decade playing at some of Spain’s middleweights (Getafe, Elche, Rayo Vallecano, Sporting Gijon) and ended his career playing in the Netherlands for NAC Breda.
He retired in January 2021 at the age of 27.
Enzo Zidane
Son of Zinedine (obviously), Enzo made his first and only senior appearance for the club while being managed by his father in 2016, scoring in a cameo from the bench in the Copa Del Rey.
He left Madrid in 2017 and continued to fall down the pyramid, with spells in Switzerland, Portugal and France.
Now 30, he last played in 2023 and retired to focus on family matters and his own investments.
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