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#3 Denis Cheryshev (Valencia)
Denis Cheryshev had a rough time coming through the ranks at Real Madrid's academy. Having spent nine years with the reserve teams, accumulating over 100 appearances for Real Madrid Castilla along the way, Cheryshev was officially promoted to the first team in 2013.
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Despite his obvious talent, the Russian winger's time at the Bernabeu will always be remembered for controversy rather than his on-field heroics.
After three consecutive loan spells in the Spanish top-flight, the academy stalwart returned to Madrid in 2015, finally looking to make his place in the first-team. His first competitive goal for Los Merengues came in a 3-1 drubbing of Cadiz CF in the Spanish Cup.
Instead of kickstarting his campaign with Real Madrid, that fateful match proved to be Cheryshev's last with his boyhood club.
Rafa Benitez had illegally fielded the Russian in a cup game, despite him serving a suspension, sanctioned during his time on-loan with Villarreal. Real Madrid were subsequently expelled from the competition and what was meant to be his breakout moment ended up derailing his career.
Cheryshev did have a moment in the sun, starring for his country at the 2018 World Cup. Nevertheless, his club career has stalled ever since that infamous incident.
Valued at just €3.5m at the time of writing, the 30-year-old playmaker has experienced a lackluster career in contrast to the potential he showed in his academy days.
#2 José Rodríguez (Maccabi Haifa)
Perhaps the most unknown entity on the list, Jose Rodriguez's silent fall from the top has been one of the most drastic in the history of Real Madrid's academy. A highly-rated candidate from the start of his Madrid career, Rodriguez was handed his first-team debut by Jose Mourinho in 2012.
The Spaniard scored in his first appearance for Los Blancos, netting the third goal in a 4-1 win against CD Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey.
Just a month later, Rodriguez made his La Liga and Champions League debuts, becoming Real Madrid's youngest ever player in the continental tournament, aged 17. Unfortunately for the central midfielder, his career in the Spanish capital never took off after a promising start.
After spending the following season with Castilla and another on loan at Deportivo La Coruna, the academy graduate was sold to Galatasaray on a free transfer.
Barring a brief stint with Dutch minnows Fortuna Sittard, Rodriguez has mostly disappointed in his post-Madrid career. He recently moved to the Israeli Premier League with Maccabi Haifa on an annual salary of just €270k.
#1 Jesé (Las Palmas)
The 'Bojan' of Real Madrid, Jese Rodriguez's style of play was compared to that of his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo, in the Spaniard's early days at the academy. His coach at La Fabrica, Alberto Toril, always regarded Jese as a prodigy. The former academy manager was quoted as saying:
"He had everything. Physically he was gifted: strong, fast, powerful, agile. Also, technically. At that age you already saw different things in him."
Jese displayed some exceptional dribbling abilities in his youth, attracting interest from all over the world, including Barcelona. Versatile and technically apt, the Las Palmas-born forward was touted to succeed in any team that was lucky enough to acquire his services.
However, a string of horrible injuries and his off-field antics prevented the youngster from shaping his career with Los Blancos.
Even at the time of his sale, Real Madrid rated him so highly that they famously included an 'anti-Barcelona' clause in his transfer to PSG, which forbade the French giants from selling Jese to Madrid's arch rivals.
Nevertheless, disciplinary issues and continuous struggles with injuries meant that Jese's PSG career never really took off.
Fast forward five years and the 28-year-old former prospect of Madrid's academy, has just signed for UD Las Palmas, the club in his hometown. A part-time musician, Jese has failed to show the commitment an athlete requires to succeed in the game. Another 'wonderkid' story without a happy ending.
Also read: Ranking the best graduates from Barcelona's La Masia in the last decade
