Real Madrid's famed Castilla academy has produced some of the best players in the world, including the likes of Iker Casillas and Raul Gonzalez, but not all of them lived up to expectations at the club. Here are 10 wonderkids who did not make the grade at Los Blancos.
Click through the gallery above to see 10 wonderkids who did not live up to expectations at Real!
Samuel Eto'o is one of the greatest strikers to have played the game, but the FC Barcelona legend failed to make the grade at Real during the early stages of his career. Eto'o did not score in his seven appearances for the club, and was eventually allowed to leave for Mallorca, where he laid the foundation for his stellar career.
A number of other household names started their careers at the Castilla, including former Tottenham Hotspur striker Roberto Soldado and the Valencia pairing of Denis Cheryshev and Dani Parejo. All four are now full internationals, but managed only a combined 23 appearances during their respective stints at Real.
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Jese Rodriguez and Jose Callejon enjoyed better success with the club, with both touted as future successors to Cristiano Ronaldo, but ultimately failed to live up to those expectations before moving on. Jese scored 13 goals in 63 league appearances before moving to Paris Saint-Germain, while Callejon scored eight times in 55 LaLiga games for the Madrid giants.
Enzo Zidane, son of club legend and current manager Zinedine Zidane, was backed to follow in his father's footsteps and even scored on his debut for Real's senior team, but never played for the club again prior to his move to Desportivo Aves at the start of the season.
Read: 10 Barca Wonderkids Who Didn't Live Up To Expectations
Other stars such as Juanfran, Pablo Sarabia and Marcos Alonso also started their career with Real before being cut – you can see the full list by scrolling through the gallery above!
Are surprised that any of these players did not make the grade at Real? Share your thoughts by commenting in the section below.
