Nearly everyone – from captain Asier Illarramendi to coaches Imanol Alguacil and Xabi Alonso – started out at the academy
By Alex Clapham for Caño Football
Until 1989, Real Sociedad had a strict policy of only selecting players who had grown up in the province of Guipúzcoa in the Basque Country. That rigorous approach brought them great success – they were crowned champions of
Spain in 1981 and 1982 with a team full homegrown players – but, when the trophies dried up, they decided to cast the net further afield when scouting for new talent.
The arrival of John Aldridge from
Liverpool steered the club into a new direction. The Liverpudlian divided opinions in San Sebastián, where “foreigner go home” was daubed around the city. However, he soon won over the locals with 40 goals in 75 games. The club have been turning to foreign players ever since, but their commitment to their academy remains intact. There are 10 academy graduates in the current first-team squad and every starting 11 must contain at least four academy players.