CA Osasuna cantera

The cantera (quarry) of Spanish professional football club CA Osasuna is the organisation's youth academy, developing players from childhood through to the integration of the best prospects into the adult teams.

CA Osasuna (youth system)
Full nameClub Atlético Osasuna
GroundTajonar Facilities, Pamplona,
Navarre, Spain
Capacity4,000
PresidentLuis Sabalza
Head coachDavid García
LeagueDivisión de Honor
2018-19División de Honor, Gr. 2, 9th
WebsiteClub website

The final category within the youth structure is the Juvenil A (Basque: Gazteak A) under-18/19 team which represents the club in national competition. The successful graduates then usually move to the club's affiliated team for younger players, CD Iruña, or to the reserve team, Osasuna B which are also considered part of the cantera due to being stages in progression towards the senior team, albeit competing in the adult league system.

The academy is based at the club training complex, Tajonar, which is often the name used informally to refer to the system itself.

Background

The top football clubs in the Spanish leagues generally place great importance in developing their cantera to promote the players from within or sell to other clubs as a source of revenue, and Osasuna is no exception. Their youth recruitment network is focused primarily around their home region of Navarre and there are collaboration agreements in place with the small clubs in the region.

Navarre has a population of just 640,000, a small catchment zone for an elite football club, and additionally Osasuna faces a battle for some of the region's talented young players due to the presence of Athletic Bilbao, whose Basque-only player recruitment policy includes Navarre in its definition.[1] In the 1990s and 2000s, several prominent players made the journey directly from Pamplona to Bilbao, including Ziganda, Larrainzar, Lacruz, Tiko, Orbaiz, Javi Martínez, David López and Muñoz,[2] while others such as Goikoetxea, José Mari and Ezquerro moved from Osasuna to Athletic via other clubs. The Biscay organisation have an affiliate team (UDC Txantrea) in Pamplona,[3][4][5] and several promising players who might otherwise have been likely to join Osasuna, the closest major club to their home towns (such as Iraizoz, Gurpegui, Llorente, San José and Muniain) were recruited by Athletic instead. This situation of increasingly aggressive recruitment fostered a tense relationship between the two clubs, arguably more so than any on-field battles.[6][7][5]

After a spell in the late 2000s during which Osasuna had few new academy graduates joining their main squad while Athletic reached a European final with a team full of Navarros,[8][9] the trend reversed - Osasuna's relegation from La Liga in 2014 provided an opportunity for several academy players to integrate into the side in the less intense atmosphere of the second tier, and they played a role in the club's return to the top level in 2016. Meanwhile, Athletic recruited hardly any youth players from Navarre in the same period.[5]

According to a 2016 report, Osasuna had a total of 11 homegrown players (as per UEFA guidelines, three years of training between 15 and 21 years old) still at their formative club, with another 5 at other top clubs across Europe.[10] As a club from a small city with limited resources, the youth department's ability to train such coveted players (as well as provide others to the senior squad) is a vital source of income. The departures of four of the former youth players – Raúl García,[11] Monreal,[12] Javi Martínez[13] and Azpilicueta[14] – , who all became Spanish internationals, earned Osasuna €31 million in transfer fees; the fifth and last of those departures, under-21 midfielder Mikel Merino, brought in a further €4 million. In summer 2017, Álex Berenguer became the latest canterano to move abroad for a considerable fee (€5.5 million),[15] an important financial boost in the wake of another relegation. Athletic Bilbao had been interested in Berenguer, but no deal was agreed due in part to the rivalry between the clubs. At the same time, Athletic secured the signature of 18-year-old Jesús Areso from Osasuna's youth team, paying his modest contractual release clause amount, making it impossible for Osasuna to reject the approach; this led to the Pamplona club temporarily breaking relations with their Bilbao neighbours in annoyance due to the impolite manner in which their board felt the business was conducted.[16][5]

Another analysis in 2016 concluded that the Navarre region was the most successful in Spain for producing top-level footballers per head of population (25 players, equating to 39 per million residents) thanks to the efforts of both Osasuna and Athletic Bilbao in recruiting and developing local talent.[17]

National Competitions

The Juvenil A team play in Group II of the División de Honor Juvenil as their regular annual competition. Their main rivals in the league group are Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad. The under-17 team, Juvenil B, plays in the Liga Nacional Juvenil which is the lower division of the same structure.

The team also occasionally participates in the Copa de Campeones and the Copa del Rey Juvenil, qualification for which is dependent on final league group position. In these nationwide competitions the opposition includes the academy teams of Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Sevilla and Real Madrid.

International Tournaments

It is possible for Osasuna Juvenil to participate in the UEFA Youth League, either by winning the previous season's Copa de Campeones or by way of the senior team qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stages, but so far neither has been achieved.

Structure

The core of boys from the Navarre region are first introduced into the Tajonar Futbol 8 teams at around 10 years of age and advance by an age group every season through Infantil, Cadete and Juvenil levels. In the past, players retained after their Juvenil A spell (aged about 17) would typically move to reserve team CA Osasuna B (Promesas) to gain experience in an adult league (Segunda División B level in most years). However, Promesas is an under-23 team and it can be difficult for the younger players to make an impact. Some other leading clubs in Spain have a further reserve team or an affiliated club in the lower Tercera División level to bridge this gap (see Villarreal CF C/Real Sociedad C/CD Basconia/Sevilla FC C), and in 2016 Osasuna made an agreement with local CD Iruña to fulfil the role. Therefore, in the coming years some of the youth academy graduates will spend 1 or 2 seasons at Iruña before the best players progress to Osasuna Promesas, and thereafter on to the senior team when considered ready to do so.

Head coaches

The coaches are often former Osasuna players who themselves graduated from Tajonar.

SquadAgeCoachTierLeague
Juvenil A16-18David García1División de Honor (Gr. II)
Juvenil B16-17Iñaki Muñoz2Liga Nacional (Gr. XVI)
Cadete A15-16Jonathan Unanua1Liga Cadete Navarra
Cadete B14-15Pablo Orbaiz2Primera Cadete

Current squads

Juvenil División de Honor

As of 20 January 2021 [18]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK  ESP Ander Ibáñez
GK  ESP Yoel Ramírez
DF  ESP Asier Pérez
DF  ESP Eloy Goñi
DF  ESP Iñaki Rupérez
DF  ESP Ion Ander Marcos
DF  ESP Jon de Luis
DF  ESP Jon Vergara
DF  ESP Sergio Pascual
DF  ESP Xabier Irurita
MF  ESP Adama Boiro
MF  ESP Cristian Mutilva
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF  ESP Ignacio Fernández
MF  ESP Iker Benito
MF  ESP Iker Muñoz
MF  ESP Jesús Macaya
MF  ESP Jorge Hernández
MF  ESP Mario Sánchez
MF  ESP Miguel Pascal
FW  ESP Alejandro Morales
FW  ESP Asier Berruete
FW  ESP Daniel Sancho
FW  DOM Nowend Lorenzo

Juvenil Liga Nacional

As of 20 January 2021[19]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK  ESP Adrián Tabuenca
GK  ESP Javier Huarte
GK  ESP Rafa Fernández
DF  ESP Adrián Urra
DF  ESP Eneko Sierra
DF  ESP Javier Moreno
DF  ESP Joan Úriz
DF  ESP Juan Suárez
DF  ESP Lisandro Massoco
DF  ESP Manuel Yanguas
DF  ESP Mario Alonso
DF  ESP Mario Salazar
DF  ESP Miguel Auría
DF  ESP Mikel Ansó
DF  ESP Rubén Ruiz
No. Pos. Nation Player
DF  ESP Víctor Ciáurriz
MF  ESP Aimar Martiarena
MF  ESP Asier Osambela
MF  ESP David Delgado
MF  ESP Eneko Oroz
MF  ESP Iker Lekuona
MF  ESP Imanol Beloki
MF  ESP Iñaki Vicente
MF  ESP Kaiet Ezpelta
MF  ESP Lucas Ibáñez
MF  ESP Xabier Ormaetxea
FW  ESP Iker Osua
FW  ESP Iván Cuéllar
FW  ESP Juan Asirón
FW  ESP Óscar Pérez

Season to season (Juvenil A)

Superliga / Liga de Honor sub-19

Seasons with two or more trophies shown in bold[20]

: :Season: :LevelGroupPositionCopa del Rey JuvenilNotes
1986–8716thQuarter-final
1987–8817thRound of 16
1988–8912ndSemi-final
1989–9017thQuarter-final
1990–91112thSemi-final
1991–9216thRound of 16
1992–9315thSemi-final
1993–94116thN/ARelegated
1994–95221stN/ANo promotion due to restructuring

División de Honor Juvenil

Seasons with two or more trophies shown in bold

*Season*LevelGroupPositionCopa del Rey Juv.Copa de CampeonesEurope/notes
1995–96123rdRound of 16N/A---
1996–97123rdQuarter-finalN/A---
1997–98126thN/AN/A---
1998–99125thN/AN/A---
1999–00124thN/AN/A---
2000–01121stSemi-finalWinners---
2001–02124thN/AN/A---
2002–03122ndQuarter-finalN/A---
2003–04123rdRunners-upN/A---
2004–05121stRound of 162nd in group of 3---
2005–06124thN/AN/A---
2006–07126thN/AN/A---
2007–08122ndRound of 16N/A---
2008–09125thN/AN/A---
2009–10123rdN/AN/A---
2010–11123rdRound of 16N/A---
2011–12124thN/AN/AN/A
2012–13122ndQuarter-finalN/AN/A
2013–141II5thN/AN/AN/A
2014–151II3rdN/AN/AN/A
2015–161II4thN/AN/AN/A
2016–171II1stRound of 16Quarter-finalN/A
2017–181II10thN/AN/AN/A
2018–191II9thN/AN/AN/A
2019–20[lower-alpha 1]1II3rdN/AN/AN/A
  1. In March 2020, all fixtures were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. On 6 May 2020, the Royal Spanish Football Federation announced the premature end of the leagues, revoking all relegations, declaring each divisional leader as champion and cancelling the Copa del Rey Juvenil and the Copa de Campeones for the season.[21]

Famous players

Notable graduates who passed through the youth system on their way to establishing themselves with the Osasuna senior side and/or other clubs include:

As of August 2019

players currently at Osasuna in bold, 'graduation' year in parentheses

Honours

National competitions

See also

References

  1. "Tajonar y el eterno peligro" [Tajonar and the eternal danger] (in Spanish). Vavel. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  2. "Areso, último capítulo del trasvase Osasuna-Athletic" [Areso, latest chapter of the Osasuna-Athletic transfers]. Marca (in Spanish). 7 July 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  3. "El fértil vivero navarro del Athletic" [Athletic's fertile Navarrese nursery]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 8 February 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  4. "El Txantrea renueva como club convenido del Athletic hasta 2021" [Txantrea renews as Athletic collaboration club until 2021] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  5. "Lezama y Navarra y viceversa" [Lezama and Navarre and vice versa]. Futbol 948 (in Spanish). 24 November 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  6. "El Osasuna y el Athletic dirimen un duelo de rivalidad regional lleno de alicientes" [Osasuna and Athletic set a duel of regional rivalry full of incentives]. Diario de León (in Spanish). 26 October 2005. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  7. "Rivalidad, una motivación" [Rivalry, a motivation]. Noticias de Navarra (in Spanish). 1 April 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  8. "La navarra, una cantera expoliada" [Navarre, an emptied quarry] (in Spanish). El Diario Vasco. 10 February 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  9. "La Chantrea, el mejor vivero, es del Athletic" [Chantrea, Athletic's best nursery] (in Spanish). El Diario Vasco. 10 February 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  10. "Revealed! Which clubs produce the most of Europe's top players?". FourFourTwo. 1 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  11. "Aguirre gets thumbs up from Atlético". UEFA.com. 19 July 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  12. "Monreal jugará en el Málaga las próximas cinco temporadas" [Monreal will play with Málaga in next four seasons]. Marca (in Spanish). 10 June 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  13. "Athletic spend big on starlet". Sky Sports. 2 July 2006. Archived from the original on 3 April 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  14. "Azpi pour 9.5 million euros?" [Azpi for 9.5 million euros?] (in French). Mercato 365. 28 June 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  15. "El Club Atlético Osasuna alcanza un acuerdo con el Torino Football Club para el traspaso de Álex Berenguer" [Club Atlético Osasuna reach an agreement with Torino Football Club for the transfer of Álex Berenguer]. Official Website (in Spanish). CA Osasuna. 17 July 2017. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  16. "Osasuna cut ties with Athletic Club in aftermath of Areso transfer". Marca. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  17. "Navarra, cantera de futbolistas" [Navarre, quarry of footballers] (in Spanish). Noticias de Navarra. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  18. "Osasuna website: Juvenil A squad 16/17" (in Spanish).
  19. "CA Osasuna website: Juvenil B squad 16/17" (in Spanish).
  20. Historical Spanish Juvenile Competition Results
  21. "Comunicado de la RFEF en relación con las competiciones no profesionales del fútbol español" [RFEF announcement in relation to the non-professional competitions in Spanish football] (in Spanish). RFEF. 6 May 2020.
  22. "Historia DH Juvenil. Sporting y Espanyol campeones en 2004" [History of Youth Honour Division; Sporting and Espanyol champions in 2004] (in Spanish). Vendovos Mareo. 11 March 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
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