Real Madrid have surprised everyone by adding two coaches with a background in La Masia to Xabi Alonso's coaching staff. They are Alberto Encinas and Ismael Camenforte. Both were part of Barça's youth soccer system and now play key roles in the new white project.
Two culés infiltrated in Real Madrid
Alberto Encinas, a native of Mataró, worked for four seasons at Barça, serving as assistant coach of Juvenil A and third coach of Barça B. Later, he joined Bayer Leverkusen, where he met Xabi Alonso and became one of his closest collaborators. Encinas stands out for his focus on developing young talent and his understanding of the positional play characteristic of Barça.
Ismael Camenforte, meanwhile, also has roots in La Masia, having worked in the physical preparation of Barça's youth teams. With experience at New York City FC and the Denmark national team, Camenforte joined Bayer Leverkusen in 2021, where he developed innovative tools for training planning.
The inclusion of these coaches with a culé background in Real Madrid reflects Xabi Alonso's openness to different soccer philosophies. His focus is on the comprehensive development of players. In addition, it shows the importance the white club places on experience and knowledge acquired in other elite environments.
Is the club's identity at risk?
This decision has caused various reactions among Madridists; some see it as a sign of pragmatism and professionalism, while others believe it could dilute the club's identity. However, the main goal is to strengthen the team and return to the path of titles.
With the addition of Encinas and Camenforte, Real Madrid aim to combine the best of both academies. The goal is to build a competitive team with a clear identity. The 2025-2026 season will be key to evaluating the impact of this strategy on the team's performance.
The roles of both, however, will be very different at Real Madrid from those they had at Barça, where they worked in youth soccer development.