It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Real Madrid Castilla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jeremy de León was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Level with 88 minutes on the clock, after an afternoon Real Madrid Castilla had all but put away. Talavera will call it a point earned; the home dressing room will call it two given away, and both of them are right.
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Real Madrid Castilla will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
Jorge Cestero was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad24 Apr 2028
At 21, Jesús Fortea is already the best thing here
An average of 7.05 in a first team he is several years too young for. Real Madrid Castilla have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Loren Zúñiga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Matías Giménez Rojas. 2‑1 against Osasuna Promesas, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 23-year-old it feels ownership of. Hugo De Llanos has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Jorge Cestero and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad17 Apr 2028
At 21, Daniel Yáñez is already the best thing here
An average of 7.00 in a first team he is several years too young for. Real Madrid Castilla have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
At 21 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Level with 91 minutes on the clock, after an afternoon Real Madrid Castilla had all but put away. Celta Fortuna will call it a point earned; the home dressing room will call it two given away, and both of them are right.
The shape wanted a different profile against this opponent, which is a real football answer and no comfort at all to the man it is about. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Matías Giménez Rojas provided it, and the 8.80 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
A 3‑1 win over Bilbao Athletic, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jeremy de León was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Marked 8.04 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Real Madrid Castilla will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jorge Cestero signs something — a contract at Real Madrid Castilla or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
9 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
David Jiménez and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad3 Apr 2028
Loren Zúñiga falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
8.08. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Minute 92, against Real Avilés, and a goal that felt like a win to everybody who had stayed. It was a draw. Nobody leaving the ground will describe it as one.
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Real Madrid Castilla will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Loren Zúñiga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and David Jiménez has written the date down.
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room and never have. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and at Real Madrid Castilla that is a harder question to answer.
8 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
8 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Real Madrid Castilla can tell you which week it ends in.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Hugo De Llanos and Real Madrid Castilla agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Jorge Cestero and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jeremy de León is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Real Madrid Castilla has to find a result from somewhere.
7 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Successful dribbles: 21. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Loren Zúñiga falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Manu Serrano and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jorge Cestero signs something — a contract at Real Madrid Castilla or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The manager wanted a different profile for this opponent, which is a real football reason and no consolation. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
Position 5, 45 points, and a run-in that decides whether next season has Thursday nights in it. Nobody is calling it a race yet, which is what people say during one.
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Real Madrid Castilla has to find a result from somewhere.
6 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Real Madrid Castilla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad6 Mar 2028
A place in the month's best eleven for Jorge Cestero
Four or five weekends of consistency, judged against everybody in the division doing his job. Jorge Cestero has come out of that comparison in the side, and Real Madrid Castilla have had the benefit of every one of those afternoons.
1 appearances, 0 clean sheets, and a goalkeeper no further forward than the day he left. Whether that belongs to him, to the club that borrowed him or to the people who arranged it is the argument Real Madrid Castilla will have this month.
The manager wanted a different profile for this opponent, which is a real football reason and no consolation. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Real Madrid Castilla has to find a result from somewhere.
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Jorge Cestero is 21, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
5 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
A season average of 7.02 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Real Madrid Castilla know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Jorge Cestero was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jeremy de León was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Successful dribbles: 17. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Real Madrid Castilla has to find a result from somewhere.
4 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Successful dribbles: 22. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Jorge Cestero and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Real Madrid Castilla has been clear about where Matías Giménez Rojas stands, which is more than many ever get.
The manager wanted a different profile for this opponent, which is a real football reason and no consolation. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
David Jiménez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Real Madrid Castilla can tell you which week it ends in.
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
Chances created: 9. Not on the scoresheet and not remotely anonymous — a passing performance that pulled a defence apart without leaving a mark on the column that gets read.
David Jiménez and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jeremy de León is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
100 games in this shirt, through managers and relegations and everything else. Service like it is disappearing from the game and the crowd knows what it is watching.
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Real Madrid Castilla will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Matías Giménez Rojas trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The hardest thing about being 20 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Jesús Fortea did not need any: 8.11, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Squad31 Jan 2028
At 20, Jesús Fortea is already the best thing here
An average of 7.03 in a first team he is several years too young for. Real Madrid Castilla have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Jorge Cestero was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 22-year-old it feels ownership of. Hugo De Llanos has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Hugo De Llanos. 1‑0 against Arenas Club, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Successful dribbles: 20. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 23-year-old it feels ownership of. Jeremy de León has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Real Madrid Castilla they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
The offer from Real Sociedad for Jesús Fortea was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Real Madrid Castilla, and it is not being withdrawn.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Minute 87, against Ourense CF, and a goal that felt like a win to everybody who had stayed. It was a draw. Nobody leaving the ground will describe it as one.
Half the programme played, position 4, 36 on the board. Doubling it is the sum every supporter has done and the only one nobody at the club will do out loud.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Real Madrid Castilla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad10 Jan 2028
Loren Zúñiga falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Real Madrid Castilla know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“If we are going to be beaten, let it not be because somebody in here could not be bothered.” He stood up and said it in front of everybody, which is a thing a squad remembers about a man for years.
The offer from Paradou for Oscar Naasei was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Position 3, 34 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.
Player ratings3 Jan 2028
Jesús Fortea, 20, plays like he has been here for years — 8.20
A mark of 8.20 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 20-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
The kind of year that ends with a name being read out in a hall. Real Madrid Castilla had the benefit of it every week and now have the problem of everybody else knowing.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Real Madrid Castilla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 22-year-old it feels ownership of. Hugo De Llanos has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Jesús Fortea, 20, plays like he has been here for years — 8.18
A mark of 8.18 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 20-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 20-year-old it feels ownership of. Jesús Fortea has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Jesús Fortea. 1‑0 against Osasuna Promesas, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Jesús Fortea is 20, and for one weekend he was the best of everybody his age in the division. Nobody should build a career on it and everybody quietly does.
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Barakaldo defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Oscar Naasei and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Loren Zúñiga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 23-year-old it feels ownership of. Jeremy de León has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Mario Rivas trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Jorge Cestero was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Loren Zúñiga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. Real Madrid Castilla told Loren Zúñiga something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Bilbao Athletic defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Real Madrid Castilla. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Oscar Naasei will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Real Madrid Castilla the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Player ratings6 Dec 2027
Diego Aguado, 20, plays like he has been here for years — 7.61
A mark of 7.61 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 20-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Successful dribbles: 21. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Manu Serrano was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Manuel Ángel. 1‑0 against Real Avilés, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Marked 8.29 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
At 21 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Loren Zúñiga falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
At 20 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Marked 7.40 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Real Madrid Castilla had the best player on the pitch.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Successful dribbles: 26. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Jorge Cestero and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Ninety specific minutes wanted a different sort of player, and the manager picked one. He is not out of form and he is not in the side, and both are true.
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
Jorge Cestero was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
A year in and the city has not opened up, the language has not come, and lunch is eaten alone more often than anybody at Real Madrid Castilla would admit. It shows on Saturdays.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jesús Fortea signs something — a contract at Real Madrid Castilla or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Real Madrid Castilla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
At 23 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Marked 8.18 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
At 20 he was better than everybody his age in the division for four weeks running, which is harder than one good afternoon. Real Madrid Castilla will try not to make too much of it.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Loren Zúñiga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
At 20 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
Daniel Yáñez, 20, plays like he has been here for years — 8.34
A mark of 8.34 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 20-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Successful dribbles: 24. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Jorge Cestero and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 23-year-old it feels ownership of. Manuel Ángel has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Real Madrid Castilla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
At 20 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Manuel Ángel. 1‑0 against Pontevedra, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 16 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Loren Zúñiga falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” David Jiménez has his answer from Real Madrid Castilla; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Real Madrid Castilla will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and David Jiménez trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
At 21 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Real Madrid Castilla will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
It will be explained as a change for the team and it may even be one. Nobody who has worn one believes that, and neither does the man who has just had it taken away.
Jorge Cestero and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Successful dribbles: 21. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Marked 7.90 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Real Madrid Castilla had the best player on the pitch.
Oscar Naasei was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Loren Zúñiga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Ninety specific minutes wanted a different sort of player, and the manager picked one. He is not out of form and he is not in the side, and both are true.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Diego Aguado signs something — a contract at Real Madrid Castilla or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Real Madrid Castilla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Two or more conceded in each of the last 5 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Real Madrid Castilla will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Loren Zúñiga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
Not a new contract, not a new number: a new place in the manager’s thinking, which is the only promotion in football that actually matters. Loren Zúñiga has moved up it.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The manager wanted a different profile for this opponent, which is a real football reason and no consolation. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
In brief
The dugoutLamini Fati knocks on the manager’s door
22 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Jorge Cestero falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
A new face in his position and a shirt he thought he owned suddenly up for discussion. Real Madrid Castilla have promised nothing, which is what clubs promise at this stage.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Real Madrid Castilla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Lamini Fati falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jorge Cestero was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Jorge Cestero trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Real Madrid Castilla know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Oscar Naasei and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad2 Aug 2027
Jorge Cestero falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Oscar Naasei was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
In brief
The dugoutOscar Naasei knocks on the manager's door
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Daniel Yáñez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Sergio Mestre and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
In brief
The dugoutOscar Naasei knocks on the manager’s door
Add another name to the list: Mérida have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Sergio Mestre. The answer from Real Madrid Castilla has not changed — yet.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Daniel Yáñez is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Manu Serrano and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Oscar Naasei and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Lamini Fati is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Real Madrid Castilla will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Position 20 and 22 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Real Madrid Castilla can pretend not to have heard.
At 21 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Sergio Mestre had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
Daniel Yáñez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jeremy de León is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
A new face in his position, and Hugo De Llanos suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Real Madrid Castilla have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
The offer from CE Europa for Sergio Mestre was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
At 22 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Real Madrid Castilla have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Oscar Naasei and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Daniel Yáñez and Real Madrid Castilla agree another 5 years.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Real Madrid Castilla has been clear about where Oscar Naasei stands, which is more than many ever get.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jeremy de León was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The manager has re-ordered his thinking and Cristian David has come out of it lower. He will be told it is temporary, and the players who have heard that before will avoid his eye.
In brief
The dugoutOscar Naasei knocks on the manager's door
Position 20 and 22 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Oscar Naasei was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
38 games, 7 goals, and a squad option that has arrived without a fee attached. The interesting question at Real Madrid Castilla now is not whether he plays but who he displaces.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Lamini Fati is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Sergio Mestre signs something — a contract at Real Madrid Castilla or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Manu Serrano was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The shape wanted a different profile against this opponent, which is a real football answer and no comfort at all to the man it is about. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Lamini Fati trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
32 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
1‑6 to Guadalajara, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 7 goals between Real Madrid Castilla and Guadalajara, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Real Madrid Castilla, and both men came out saying it was fine.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Cristian David signs something — a contract at Real Madrid Castilla or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
31 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Real Madrid Castilla has to find a result from somewhere.
6 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 6 goals between Real Madrid Castilla and Mérida, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Real Madrid Castilla will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 21 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 5 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Cristian David was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 14 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 4 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Real Madrid Castilla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
27 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Real Madrid Castilla has to find a result from somewhere.
Sergio Mestre and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
At 22 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room and never have. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and at Real Madrid Castilla that is a harder question to answer.
“If we are going to be beaten, let it not be because somebody in here could not be bothered.” He stood up and said it in front of everybody, which is a thing a squad remembers about a man for years.
26 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Sergio Mestre and Real Madrid Castilla agree another 5 years.
Cristian David was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Successful dribbles: 15. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
The team at the top of the table next, and the honest measure of where this side actually is. Anybody can beat the club below them; the question is what happens against Tenerife.
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Real Madrid Castilla will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
25 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 22 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Real Madrid Castilla, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Mario Rivas has done the arithmetic and does not like the answer. Nothing corrodes a squad faster, and no club has ever solved it by explaining the wage structure to a footballer.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 15 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
6 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Real Madrid Castilla can tell you which week it ends in.
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Cristian David is 21, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
At 22 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Lamini Fati trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
23 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
0‑5 against Real Avilés, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
5 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Two or more conceded in each of the last 6 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Cristian David was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Successful dribbles: 20. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
22 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
4 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Cristian David and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 3 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
The dugout1 Mar 2027
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑3 Juan Blanco left the room before anybody could ask which.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 15 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Real Madrid Castilla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Juan Blanco after 0‑2, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Lamini Fati has done the arithmetic and does not like the answer. Nothing corrodes a squad faster, and no club has ever solved it by explaining the wage structure to a footballer.
19 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Real Madrid Castilla has to find a result from somewhere.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 14 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Successful dribbles: 22. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Real Madrid Castilla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Diego Aguado and Real Madrid Castilla agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑2 defeat, delivered by Juan Blanco to a room that had heard them before.
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Real Madrid Castilla will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
18 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 15 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
At 20 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 1‑3, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
Marked 7.47 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Real Madrid Castilla had the best player on the pitch.
Four or five weekends of consistency, judged against everybody in the division doing his job. Víctor Valdepeñas has come out of that comparison in the side, and Real Madrid Castilla have had the benefit of every one of those afternoons.
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Real Madrid Castilla will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 18 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Sergio Mestre had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
He is 21 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
The dugout1 Feb 2027
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑4 Juan Blanco left the room before anybody could ask which.
Successful dribbles: 14. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
In brief
The dugoutLamini Fati knocks on the manager's door
15 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Real Madrid Castilla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑1, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Real Madrid Castilla, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The manager wanted a different profile for this opponent, which is a real football reason and no consolation. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
Marked 7.87. There is a kind of forward whose value only shows up when you count what he was involved in rather than what he finished, and this is the day that argument makes itself.
Cristian David was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
He is 22 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Marked 8.08 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
A point taken on 95 minutes is worth exactly one point and considerably more than that to a dressing room. This side does not stop, which is a reputation worth more than the result.
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 21 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Cristian David and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Mérida held the lead for 3 minutes, which is not long enough to enjoy it. Real Madrid Castilla answered before the celebration had properly finished, and the shape of the afternoon changed with it.
It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
The view from the dugout
“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Juan Blanco chose the glass-half-full version of 2‑2; the supporters left with the other one.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Sergio Mestre trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
11 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Real Madrid Castilla, and it is not being withdrawn.
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 19 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
A season average of 7.11 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Real Madrid Castilla know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Loren Zúñiga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout4 Jan 2027
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Juan Blanco was not hiding it after 0‑0, and nobody in the Real Madrid Castilla dressing room was either.
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Ponferradina defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
In brief
The dugoutSergio Mestre asks for a word with the manager
10 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Real Madrid Castilla has to find a result from somewhere.
Player ratings28 Dec 2026
Pol Fortuny, 21, plays like he has been here for years — 8.17
A mark of 8.17 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 21-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 21 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Manu Serrano was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
The dugout28 Dec 2026
Pol Fortuny is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
8 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Player ratings21 Dec 2026
Pol Fortuny, 21, plays like he has been here for years — 7.94
A mark of 7.94 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 21-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
At 21 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Loren Zúñiga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Player ratings21 Dec 2026
Loren Zúñiga was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.39. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Conceding is one thing; the response is what tells you about a dressing room. Pol Fortuny had Real Madrid Castilla level again within 2 minutes, and Tenerife never got to play with a lead at all.
7 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Pol Fortuny, 21, plays like he has been here for years — 7.81
A mark of 7.81 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 21-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 21 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Pol Fortuny and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Jesús Fortea and Real Madrid Castilla agree another 5 years.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Loren Zúñiga falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Pol Fortuny, 21, plays like he has been here for years — 8.14
A mark of 8.14 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 21-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Real Madrid Castilla has to find a result from somewhere.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Hugo De Llanos and Real Madrid Castilla agree another 5 years.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Loren Zúñiga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
At 21 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Successful dribbles: 19. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Real Madrid Castilla has to find a result from somewhere.
The first defeat in 10 matches. The manager will say it had to come; the dressing room will say it did not have to come against Bilbao Athletic; the supporters will say both, in that order, all week.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Loren Zúñiga falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Real Madrid Castilla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑1 defeat, delivered by Juan Blanco to a room that had heard them before.
The manager wanted a different profile for this opponent, which is a real football reason and no consolation. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
In brief
The dugoutLamini Fati unhappy with how he is being used
A defender on the scoresheet, which happens rarely enough that everybody in the ground remembers who took the corner. 1 for him, and a mark of 7.53 for the rest of it.
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Pol Fortuny was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
A point taken on 96 minutes is worth exactly one point and considerably more than that to a dressing room. This side does not stop, which is a reputation worth more than the result.
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Juan Blanco after the 1‑1 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Loren Zúñiga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Cristian David and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Pol Fortuny, 21, plays like he has been here for years — 7.82
A mark of 7.82 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 21-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
A season average of 7.03 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Real Madrid Castilla know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Loren Zúñiga falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 1‑1, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.
A brace, and Pol Fortuny takes the afternoon — 9.16
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Pol Fortuny provided it, and the 9.16 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
At 21 he was better than everybody his age in the division for four weeks running, which is harder than one good afternoon. Real Madrid Castilla will try not to make too much of it.
Behind, and beaten by any honest reading, until minute 94. Arenteiro had the points in their pocket and a corner of the ground still believed, which is generally when it happens.
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Lamini Fati is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
The view from the dugout
“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Juan Blanco chose the glass-half-full version of 0‑0; the supporters left with the other one.
The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Hugo De Llanos did not need any: 7.72, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Víctor Valdepeñas and Real Madrid Castilla agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Loren Zúñiga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
At 23 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
It finished 2‑0, and it was Manuel Ángel’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Real Madrid Castilla.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
The manager’s verdict
“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Juan Blanco kept it short after the 2‑0 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
Ninety specific minutes wanted a different sort of player, and the manager picked one. He is not out of form and he is not in the side, and both are true.
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Cristian David is 21, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Pol Fortuny and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 21-year-old it feels ownership of. Pol Fortuny has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
The board was up, the win was priced in, and then Cacereño scored. There is no worse minute to concede in and the ground emptied in the silence that follows one.
Chances created: 11. Not on the scoresheet and not remotely anonymous — a passing performance that pulled a defence apart without leaving a mark on the column that gets read.
At 21 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
David Jiménez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Cristian David and Real Madrid Castilla agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
David Jiménez and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Loren Zúñiga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
He is 22 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
At 21 he was better than everybody his age in the division for four weeks running, which is harder than one good afternoon. Real Madrid Castilla will try not to make too much of it.
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 0‑0, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.
It is a specific kind of quiet, a ground watching a winning position dissolve. Pontevedra kept coming because nothing stopped them, and Real Madrid Castilla will be asked about the last half hour all week.
Marked 8.21 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 2‑2 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
In brief
SquadJesús Fortea is the weekend's best young player
He is 22 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Successful dribbles: 18. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Loren Zúñiga was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.19. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Pol Fortuny and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
The view from the dugout
“We controlled it. There were spells I did not like and we will look at them, but the group showed me something.” Juan Blanco, on a 1‑0 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.
15 defensive actions and a clean sheet at the end of them. A defender's afternoon can only be told by what did not happen, which is why nobody makes a highlights package out of one and every manager in the division would take it.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Loren Zúñiga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Loren Zúñiga. 2‑0 against Arenas Club, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Loren Zúñiga was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.35. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
The dugout14 Sep 2026
The manager’s verdict
“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Juan Blanco kept it short after the 2‑0 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Loren Zúñiga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Nobody at Real Madrid Castilla is suggesting he is out of form. The manager simply wanted somebody with a different set of qualities for ninety specific minutes, and there is nothing a player can train to fix that.
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — David Jiménez has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Real Madrid Castilla know, and have known for weeks.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Real Madrid Castilla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Cristian David is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Real Madrid Castilla have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Cristian David was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Loren Zúñiga falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Levante had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Real Madrid Castilla, and it is not being withdrawn.
Bruno Iglesias and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
The offer from Gijón for Raúl Asencio was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Bruno Iglesias and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Loren Zúñiga falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Bruno Iglesias keeps the shirt for now, at Real Madrid Castilla's convenience rather than his own.
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
Bruno Iglesias was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Add another name to the list: Gijón have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Raúl Asencio. The answer from Real Madrid Castilla has not changed — yet.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Loren Zúñiga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Raúl Asencio and Real Madrid Castilla agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Real Madrid Castilla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Loren Zúñiga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.