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Sat 23 May

Real Madrid Sign Promising Youngster Fran Santamaria

Tom SandersonTom Sanderson
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At a glance

  • Real Madrid and CD Castellon have reached an agreement for Fran Santamaria’s transfer.
  • The 2008-born talent will head to Los Blancos next season.
  • He’s scored 15 goals in 32 games this season while in Castellon’s B team.

Real Madrid have made a strategic signing ahead of the 2026/2027 season as reported by MARCA and confirmed by the player’s club.

Fran Santamaria is a standout 2008 talent that at 17 years old boasts 15 goals in 32 games with CD Castellon’s B team. In the Juvenil A, U-18 Honor Division seen as the pinnacle of grassroots football in Spain, he’s notched a further 13 goals in 17 games .

Next term, however, he’ll head to the nation’s capital trying to make it at the world’s biggest club.

Santamaria has qualities to impress at Real Madrid

Ambidextrous, already 1.85 metres tall and boasting a lot of goals, Santamria has an attractive profile.

Yet he won’t be expected to battle Endrick and Gonzalo Garcia for any minutes Kylian Mbappe leaves behind.

Instead, Santamaria will head to the La Fabrica youth academy. Then, like Garcia, he’ll try and progress from Castilla to the first team squad.

Santamaria says farewell before his Real Madrid move

Taking to social media, Santmaria addressed a day “I would never have imagined” arriving.

“I’ve enjoyed eight years at the club of my life and today I say goodbye to my Castellón, where I have trained as a player and, more importantly, as a person. I’d like to thank my family and friends for always guiding me with humility and effort,” Santamaria said.

“To all the coaching staff with whom I have been during these seasons and to each of the teammates with whom I have shared so many experiences. I have been and will always be one more albinegro. Pam pam Orellut,” he then signed off.

matchday.

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Tom Sanderson is a senior football correspondent that has lived in Spain for almost seven years, for the duration of which he has been Forbes' lead expert writer on Real Madrid and FC Barcelona providing news, analysis and features. He's currently in his eighth season covering the clubs which also includes attending matches home and away, press events and conferences, and training sessions amid appearing in a BBC Sport documentary on El Clasico. Before that, he lived in São Paulo for six years where he became, and still is, The Guardian's lead reporter on Brazilian football and social issues. Other notable work includes being appointed Daily Mail's first-ever Spanish language content editor in its sports department.

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