Real Madrid’s summer of structural change continues to unfold, and while most of the spotlight has been on the first team and Castilla, the club’s youth academy—La Fábrica—is also undergoing a period of transition. Alvaro Arbeloa has been promoted from Juvenil A to Castilla, leaving his former role vacant. It was expected that former Real Madrid player Julio Baptista would come in, but it seems like the Brazilian will not be returning to Real Madrid as a youth coach.
According to a report from Marca, Baptista had been in close contact with Real Madrid officials in recent weeks, and an agreement had been in place for him to rejoin the club and take on a coaching role within the youth system. The former Madrid striker, who joined the club from Sevilla in 2005 for €20 million, was reportedly close to being appointed head coach of one of the academy teams, potentially the U19 side.
However, following a meeting held on Wednesday, Baptista informed the club that he would not be moving forward with the role. Despite initially being open to a return to Valdebebas, Baptista ultimately decided that returning didn’t align with his current ambitions.
The Brazilian, who has spent over two years involved in coaching at Real Valladolid’s youth team, is now exploring other opportunities that may be a better fit for his professional goals.
