Real Madrid has only four players over 30: defenders Dani Carvajal and David Alaba, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (all 33), and center-back Antonio Rudiger (32). The team has five players 21 or younger: Gonzalo Garcia (21), Arda Guler, Dean Huijsen, Fran Gonzalez (20), and Endrick (19), with Franco Mastantuono (18) expected to join them. The average age of the squad is 25.07, according to Marca.

A photo montage of Real Madrid's young players for the upcoming season, with Dean Huiijsen (right) and Franco Mastantuono (second from right). Photo: Marca

A photo montage of Real Madrid's young players for the upcoming season, with Dean Huiijsen (right) and Franco Mastantuono (second from right). Photo: Marca

Not since the 1998-1999 season, when the average age was 24.88, has Real Madrid entered a new season with such a young squad. That team also had just four players over 30, including Davor Suker and Fernando Hierro (both 31). In contrast, they had young talents like Clarence Seedorf (23), Raul and Guti (both 22), and Samuel Eto'o and Iker Casillas (both 18).

President Florentino Perez is building a new generation of stars, and older players are no longer the core of the team. 39-year-old midfielder Luka Modric has moved to Milan. Lucas Vazquez also departed on a free transfer. Carvajal, returning from a knee ligament injury, will likely serve as backup to Trent Alexander-Arnold. Over the past three summers, other older players like Benzema, Hazard, Mariano Diaz, Joselu, Nacho, and Toni Kroos have also left.

Real Madrid's current squad may not yet rival the Galacticos 1.0 era of Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario, and Beckham, or 2.0 with Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Kaka, and Xabi Alonso. However, manager Carlo Ancelotti still has top players in their positions, such as Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, and Alexander-Arnold.

Mastantuono, still 17, has already represented the Argentina national team. He will officially become a Real Madrid player on 14/8, his 18th birthday. He could play alongside Guler, Bellingham, Garcia, Huijsen, and Raul Asencio. Consequently, Real Madrid's starting lineup could be significantly younger than the overall squad average of 25.

Having just competed in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Real Madrid will play only one pre-season friendly against WSG Tirol (Austria) on the evening of 12/8. A week later, they will begin their La Liga campaign against Osasuna at the Bernabeu.

Hoang An (according to Marca, Transfermarkt)