Real Madrid chooses not to renew Marcos Jiménez, Raúl’s former assistant at Castilla, after success at the academy

Real Madrid decided not to continue with the contract of Marcos Jiménez, who worked as Raúl’s former technical assistant at the Castilla team. The coach, who had taken over the Juvenil B team after Raúl stepped down the previous season, was informed of his dismissal this morning in Valdebebas. The communication took place during a meeting with Manu Fernández, the director of the club’s young talent academy, known as La Fábrica.

The move is controversial, particularly as it comes at a time when Raúl played a significant role in Enrique Riquelme’s recent campaign for the club’s presidency. He was one of the central names on the ticket that rivaled Florentino Pérez’s candidacy, integrating Riquelme’s project as sporting director. Behind the scenes at Valdebebas, this situation was associated with the decision to dismiss Marcos Jiménez, considered Raúl’s right-hand man at Castilla, even after the spectacular performance of the Juvenil B team under his command, which won the league title with considerable notice, finishing 13 points ahead of Atlético de Madrid.

Marcos Jiménez’s surprising transition: from potential promotion to non-renewal of contract

Marcos Jiménez’s journey at Real Madrid has come to an end, but not before he was a key player in the development of a new crop of academy players at La Fábrica. This last season, the Juvenil B team housed a large part of the promising “2009 Generation”, which generated high expectations within the club, and the results obtained exceeded projections. From the bench, Marcos Jiménez led players such as Yeremaiah, Lemaitre, Company, Mateo Garrido, Guille Ponce, Raúl Andrei, Cherif, Bugarín and Del Pino, among others. Jiménez has been given the responsibility of continuing to improve a group of young talents, who have been entrusted with an experienced and highly trusted coach to develop these potential gems. His work was so successful that, in January, the club even offered him a promotion to be Víctor Cea’s assistant at Real Madrid C, a proposal that Jiménez refused. However, the board has now chosen to dispense with his services.

Additional changes to the base trainer structure at La Fábrica

Marcos Jiménez’s departure is one of the most impactful decisions in the restructuring of La Fábrica’s technical team for next season. Julián López de Lerma will maintain his position as coach of Castilla, and Víctor Cea, who previously managed Real Madrid C, will assist him. Álvaro López will continue to lead Juvenil A, while Alfonso Berenguer will take over as the new coach of Juvenil B, and Santi Palacios will take charge of Juvenil C. Marcos Merino, who previously worked as a technical assistant at Real Madrid C, will manage Cadete B next season.