When 18-year-old Thiago Pitarch made history for Real Madrid in a big Champions League game against Manchester City, he immediately grabbed attention.
In only his first start in the competition—and just his fifth game for the club—he impressed as Real won 3-0 in the first leg at the Bernabeu. He had already made his debut a month earlier as a substitute against Benfica, and then helped Real secure a quarter-final spot in the return leg.
At 18 years and 226 days, Pitarch became Real Madrid’s youngest player to start twice in the Champions League knockout stages, beating Vinicius Jr’s record by 10 days.
The midfielder is one of the academy’s rising stars and a promising protege of Álvaro Arbeloa. He joined Real from Leganes in 2023, after spells with Atletico Madrid and Getafe youth teams. Starting with the Juvenil C team, he quickly stood out.
He moved up to the B team, and in a friendly against the academy’s first team (then coached by Arbeloa), he caught the coach’s eye. Spanish media called it “love at first sight”, praising his skill, energy, personality, and determination.
Even though Sunderland tried to sign him, Pitarch is considered the jewel of Real Madrid’s academy.
