Arbeloa already taking a close interest in Real Madrid’s January youth signing | OneFootball

Real Madrid made several youth signings in the January transfer window to strengthen the La Fabrica ranks.

One such player who arrived to the Spanish capital club was Alexis Ciria, who is already making waves at the academy.

Indeed, the 18-year-old winger has been a revelation, scoring goals for Juvenil A, Castilla and Real Madrid C in the short time that he has been at the club.

Arbeloa taking notice

So much so that MARCA reports that Real Madrid first-team manager Alvaro Arbeloa has already taken a close interest in Ciria.

Each international break offers academy players the chance to train with the first team. Real Madrid lose several players to international commitments, forcing the coaching staff to rely on academy prospects to complete training sessions.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by AC11⚡️🤍 (@alexis.ciria_)

This was the case for Ciria, after he has made a strong impression at Valdebebas since joining in January from Sevilla.

The coaching staff, led by Arbeloa, had planned to include Ciria in first-team training sessions next week during the international break. However, this depended on his availability, as he is a Spanish U-18 international.

And, now, Ciria has now been called up by coach David Tenorio for the first qualifying round of the 2027 European Championship. This has delayed Arbeloa’s initial intention to observe closely a player who has generated significant excitement within the academy.

Since joining Real Madrid in January, Ciria has scored five goals and provided two assists across all reserve and youth teams.

With Arbeloa having his sights on the teenager, it will not come as a surprise to see him get called up to first-team training in the near future.