Why Abalde is so important for Real Madrid?
Alberto Abalde had good years with Valencia Basket where he spent the last 3 season with growing numbers. He is still young, only 24 years and can develop his talent even more. So he is an excellent investment for the future. That’s no wonder why Real Madrid is wanting him so much if they are willing to pay the enormous buyout to Valencia Basket. 1.5 million euros only to sign him, plus his salary, so all together means a lot of money to have this player in the roster, but I think this move will worth it. Especially for Real Madrid’s philosophy of building the team.
The Merengues were always interested in bringing in as many local players, as well as FC Barcelona and Valencia Basket because they are the base for a solid and large roster. During the last decade, Real Madrid had many important Spanish players in the team as Sergio Rodriguez, Sergio Llull, Felipe Reyes, Rudy Fernadez, Edy Tavares, Santi Yusta and so on. Many of them are still playing with Los Blancos but the ageing of the homegrown players is one of the main issues for Real Madrid.
Felipe Reyes is already 40 years old and even he has strong motivation, his body won’t let him do miracles on the court. Rudy Fernandez has already 35 years old and he is not the same player that he was before the back surgery. He is not making anymore those impressive alley-oops etc. Sergio Llull is the best Spanish player of Real, but he was also affected by a couple of injuries in the last seasons. Usman Garuba is a nice prospect, but still too young. That’s why recurring to Alberto Abalde is one of the best solutions, especially because he is a homegrown player and this is vital for Real Madrid who tried to be all these decades the symbol of the Spanish basketball. So the accent put on local players is more important than ever for the Merengues and for their philosophy to invest in homegrown youngsters.
Image: Euroleague
Gratian Cormos
