17-year-old La Fabrica gem disappointed as he leaves Real Madrid for Sporting CP | OneFootball

Being one of the biggest clubs in the world, Real Madrid has always been the home of some of the best footballers in the world. There was a time when the most glamourous players used to wear the famed white jersey as Real Madrid did not shy away from throwing millions away to get these best players in their team.

However, times have changed, and with the influx of money in other teams, the Merengues have found their grip on the market to be losing gradually. As a result, there has been an increased focus on youth talent acquisition and development in recent years, which is clear from the presence of some highly-rated youngsters in the Real Madrid first team.

Meanwhile, there have also been some very promising names arising from the ranks. One such player who had shown a lot of potential in the last few months was Paulo Iago. However, as MARCA has reported, the youngster has already announced his departure from Real Madrid as he joins the youth academy of Sporting CP.

The youngster published a farewell video as he left Los Blancos, in which he showed his excitement on joining his new side. However, he also left some hints of disappointment on leaving Real Madrid as he said:

“I leave at 17 with a certain disappointment for not having fulfilled that dream here. It was hard to make this decision, and it hurts a lot to leave for the reasons I’m leaving. The reasons are what they are, and I’ll keep them to myself. I’ll speak clearly when the time is right.”

Iago had grown at an immense rate since joining the Real Madrid youth system at the age of six. He scored more than 200 goals during his time at the club, and was even dubbed as the “Lamine Yamal of La Fabrica”. Thus, his departure will be a hard blow for the Merengues, but one can hope he will return to the club one day when he is a more established and complete player.