Football Wonderkid Scout

 Atlético Midfielder Ignacio Camacho

in philosophy at the Vicente Calderón. Though many were surprised to see fans favourite Keko loaned out to second division side FC Cartagnea, with fans believing he would be the ideal replacement for Jose Jurado who left to join Bundesliga outfit Schalke in a €11m deal. Keko came into the new season off the back of a wonderful showing at the U19 European Championships this summer, having captained Spain throughout the tournament en-route to a runners-up finish. Also going out on loan was Senegalese forward Ibrahima Baldé who appeared very reluctant to leave Atlético after refusing to go to Recreativo and Albacete. He finally accepted a deal that sent him to Numancia on a season long loan.

Waiting in the wings at Atlético is 19 year-old central defender Jorge Pulido who joined the club at the age of 10 and has been a regular at international youth level, winning 20 caps for Spain's Under-19 side. Standing over 6ft tall, Pulido is strong in the air and good with the ball at his feet. Many believe he will go on to become a first team regular at the Vicente Calderón and the young defender won gold in the highly prestigious Futbol Draft Awards in 2009. In midfield, Atlético have an abundance of talent coming through. Currently on the sidelines through injury is attacking midfielder Borja Gonzalez who injured himself last season when making his debut against Getafe. Expected to return in the New Year, Borja has been training with the first team for a year now and made a name for himself after scoring five goals in six games at the Under-17 World Cup last year. Borja is one of many talents to emerge from Atlético's flourishing youth setup and is being hailed as one of Spain's brighest prospects. Currently starring for Atlético B is Jorge Resurrection Merodio, known as Koke. The hard working box-to-box midfielder is the former captain of Spain's Under-17 side and has reportedly caught the attention of Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger. Koke is expected to be loaned out in January with Salamanca favourites to sign him. Also making a name for himself is 16 year-old Saúl Ñíguez who has starred for Spain's U17 side and was highlighted by Atlético B coach Antonio Rivas as one to watch. This season alone he has began to establish himself in the Atlético B first team. Blessed with vision, excellent technical ability and a good range of passing, Ñíguez will be looking to strengthen physically and gain the experience needed to make the step up.

Ignacio Camacho is another product of Atlético’s excellent youth system. A natural leader on and off the pitch, Camacho was the captain of the Spain U17 side that won the title at 2007 European Championships and in the same year, he was declared Best Player in 2007 by the Madrid Football Federation. Nacho has represented Spain at all youth levels and while his first team opportunities have been restricted to date, he is still held in high esteem and is just 20 years-old. Many believe he is Atlético’s equivalent to Cesc Fabregas. Sebastian Gallegos was signed by Atlético for €7 million and is a left-back turned winger who can also operate as a striker. The 18 year-old first made a name for himself at the Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria for Uruguay, scoring five goals and winning the Bronze Shoe for his effort. His ability, blistering pace and cannon of a left foot earned him a short-lived trial at Barcelona aged 15, but has now settled at Atletico Madrid. As another sign of Atlético's change in philosophy in the transfer market, in the summer they signed Argentine wonderkid Eduardo Salvio. He hasn't quite clicked in Spain yet and was subsquently loaned out to Benfica after failing to impress pre-season, but has been described as the next Sergio Aguero, although he's played more on the wing for Atletico. The 20 year-old scored 13 goals in 47 appearances for Lanus and made his debut for Atlético Madrid on 18 February 2010 in a Europa League match against Galatasaray, coming on as a substitute.