When the name of AZ Alkmaar has resonated the most in Spain, it has been in the Youth League afternoons. The Dutch team has accessed the knockout round by way of the national champions and, once there, has managed to eliminate Eintracht (5-0), Barcelona (0-3) and Real Madrid (4-0).
The match between AZ and Barcelona was played at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.
FC Barcelona
The youngsters from AZ passed over Barcelona and Real Madrid, two of the great European academies
The two Spanish teams presented an eleven with a very high level. Ilias, Dani Rodríguez, Lamine Yamal, Barberá, Astralaga, Riyadh… several of the most promising players from the Barça academy were present at the Estadi Johan Cruyff to see how they were defeated without contemplation by AZ. And in Madrid more of the same, with Nico Paz or Vinicius Tobias in the eleven. “With the money that Vinicius Tobias cost, we can maintain the academy for a year and a half. AZ prefers to invest in local youngsters and train them for several years, than to sign players” says Paul Brandenburg, director of the academy, to US.
They beat Madrid in a crowded Wijdewormer sports city. The illusion is maximum with a group that Poku and Meerdink lead up. The first signed a contract with the first team in January 2022, at just 17 years old, and in that season he played six games with the seniors. However, this has not yet been released. “In the coming years I will continue to focus on my development. I think I can learn to read the game better, to be able to recognize spaces and use my weapons at the right times. In addition, I still have to grow physically to be able to play complete games at this level as well, “he explained on the day of his renewal. This left-footed or forward winger is very fast, his speed was suffered by Madrid on the counter, and in the Youth League this season he has scored in five of the seven games who has played With the Under-18s, he has ten goals in eleven games. But the team’s goalscorer is Mexx Meerdink. At 19 years old, he is one of the three players from 2003 that UEFA allows. In the knockout round he is swelling: hat-trick against Eintracht, double against Barcelona and goal against Madrid.
The AZ Alkmaar players celebrate the win against Madrid.
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In the aforementioned interview with US, the director of the quarry explains that they place a lot of emphasis on local players. Thus, nine of the eleven starters against Madrid are from the region where Alkmaar is located, North Holland. In AZ they work with a company called Brainfirst: “Before signing the children, we want to know how they are mentally. It is a company that also tests before hiring air traffic controllers”. It is surely a differential factor and one of the reasons why 52.2% of U-15 players from the academy reach professional football.