8 Superstar Real Madrid academy graduates you probably did not know of

#1 Samuel Eto’o

Samuel Eto’o is considered by many to be the best striker in Barcelona history

One of the key members in Barcelona’s dominance over Real Madrid in the mid-2000s, Samuel Eto’o was actually considered a flop during his spell at the Real Madrid youth academy. One of the best strikers to ever play the game, the Cameroon international spent close to 4 years with Los Blancos, but he was not given enough opportunities and he joined Mallorca in 2000.

After impressing at Mallorca with his incredible goalscoring skills, Eto’o secured a transfer to Barcelona where he immediately inspired Barcelona to a League title. Eto’o got into some trouble with the Madrid fans for the inappropriate chant , "Madrid, cabrón, saluda al campeón" (English for, "Madrid, b*****ds, salute the champions").

Eto’o did not feel respected at Real Madrid

In an earlier interview with FCInter news, Eto’o revealed why he left Real Madrid:

"When I was 16 and I was in the cantera (reserve team), nobody respected me. My comrades did not even greet me.

"They treated me like I was the last to arrive, despite the many goals I scored. The only people who have always believed in me were Fabio Capello and Italo Galbiati, who gave me the opportunity to train with the first team.

"I have always done well. The only explanation is that perhaps the black men in that club were not loved."

Had Madrid perhaps given Eto’o the respect he deserved, the history of Spanish football might have well been extremely different. Currently playing for Turkish side Antalyaspor, the former Inter Milan and Barcelona man is definitely one of the biggest and best Real Madrid academy graduates who made his name away from the Santiago Bernabeu.