Spain and Colombia in a tug-of-war to win Real Madrid starlet’s allegiance | OneFootball

The war for securing young talent is not limited to club football, but is quite widespread even on the international scene.

Such battles are seen best in cases where young players are eligible to represent more than one national team owing to their family’s grassroots, leading to a battle between the country of their origin and that of their residence.

As relayed by MARCA, a similar battle has now ensued between the Spanish and Colombian Football Federations, and at the centre of it all is a young Real Madrid jewel.

A star in Cadet A

As reported by the Spanish outlet, the player in question is Real Madrid’s 15-year-old midfielder Gorka Abascal who currently plays at the Cadet A level.

The player arrived at the club last summer from Athletic Club and is valued for having neat technique and a dominant physique. Since then, a war between Spain and Colombia has begun.

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The first move was him was made by the Spanish federation when they called him up to represent the country’s U-16 national team last November when he had just turned 15. At that time, he even made his debut against the United States of America. 

For the next break in February, however, Abascal was not with Spain and played for Colombia instead who called him up for the U-17 team’s games against Brazil where he made his debut for the South American nation.

Now, the latest move has been made by Spain once again who have currently called the Real Madrid jewel up for the U-16 team’s special training camp under Hernan Perez. They wish to keep him in the loop and ensure they do not lose him to Colombia.

For Abascal, however, both doors remain wide open and he can still pick either one of the two sides to represent in the long-term.