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Xu Tao: The success rate of youth training in Spain is less than 1%, but in China it may be 10% or 20%

8:56am, 21 October 2025【Football】

October 21st Xu Tao, the former goalkeeper coach of the Chinese national team and the AFC elite goalkeeper coach instructor, talked about the biggest difference between Spanish and domestic youth training in an interview with "Sports Weekly".

"This time we visited a total of 7 clubs in nearly three weeks, and we have a general understanding of the youth training system of La Liga clubs. Generally speaking, the youth training system of La Liga clubs is relatively complete, from children as young as four or five years old, all the way to U19. It is very complete. Many clubs have complete echelons, and the ratio of echelons at each level There are also many games, and some very small cities here also have good stadiums, dedicated to local fans and residents. Although Spain has a small population, the popularity of football here, including the football population, is beyond our imagination. Not to mention national football, at least it can be seen that more than 50% of the people love this sport, especially us. When we arrived at Villarreal, there were only 50,000 people in this town, but the stadium could seat 25,000 people. The club's youth training was also very developed. Not only professional and amateur football here were very well developed. "

Xu Tao also said: "One of the biggest differences between the youth training in Spain and China is that the success rate of the youth training here is actually very low, because the youth training system here is very large, but in the end, less than 1% can be kicked out. But it is completely different in China. If we train a group of players, 10% or 20% may eventually be kicked out. There is a question, are we training or selecting talents. In Spain, because the base is very large, they are more Pick players. In addition, the players recognize that even if they cannot play professional football in the future, whether they are parents or children, they can be football enthusiasts or amateur coaches. "

"Spanish youth training is actually very cruel, and there are very few players who can truly reach the La Liga level. Our biggest feeling this time is that parents in China and Spain actually hope that their children can play professionally, but under Spain's huge youth training system, most people cannot do so. The Spanish youth training clubs can also make good arrangements for those players who cannot play in professional leagues, allowing them to eventually return to society. This is indeed a good job. "

Talking about this The youth training camp of the La Liga club that impressed me most during this training, Xu Tao said: "The most impressive thing in Madrid is Atletico Madrid. They have a brand new home court and two large training bases. Both the elite level and the amateur level youth training are very complete. The overall operation of the club is also excellent. From the perspective of big clubs, Atletico Madrid is an absolute model. 1. There are also some clubs that may not have superior facilities, such as Valencia, which does not have excellent hardware facilities like Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid, but their youth training systems are generally very complete. There may be some small differences in economic conditions and promotion channels, but the overall situation is similar.”