At a glance
- Thiago Pitarch is 2025/2026’s breakthrough star from the Castilla to Real Madrid’s first team.
- He’ll now return to the reserves, to play in a semifinal against Dinamo Zagreb.
- It’ll be his first appearance for Castilla since February.
Thiago Pitarch will return to the Castilla reserve outfit from the Real Madrid first team this week, as explained by MARCA.
The 18-year-old is Madrid’s leading breakthrough story this season when it comes to making the leap from the reserves to the elite.
In 2025/2026, when there was a shortage of midfields amid a series of injuries, former Castilla boss Alvaro Arbeloa took a punt on the youngster.
Thiago then made six appearances in La Liga and six in the Champions League for a combined total of 584 minutes – with those near 10 hours proving invaluable experience for someone his age.
In the UCL quarterfinal first leg against Bayern Munich, however, he notably struggled a little battling the likes of Joshua Kimmich, which should be understandable for someone of his age that has never competed at that level before.
Even so, Thiago returning to the Castilla isn’t a demotion. It echoes something we’ve seen recently with Barcelona’s Xavi Espart helping out Barca Atletic, and isn’t uncommon for young players when they are only just finding their feet in the pro ranks.
Real Madrid’s Castilla still have goals – in comes Thiago
While the La Liga title slips away from the first team, the Castilla have objectives which is where Thiago comes in.
He’ll help them play a London-held semifinal in the Premier League International Cup against Dinamo Zagreb. If he gets a run out on the bench, or even starts, it’d be the first time that Thiago has featured for Castilla since a February 8 appearance versus Pontevedra.
Even if Castilla don’t advance in the International Cup, Thiago might stay with them in the coming weeks to help in their promotion aspirations. They’re currently fourth in Group A of the Primera Federacion, but still have chances of making the playoffs while Pontevedra are level on points with 53.
