Almost a full year since it began, Real Madrid Castilla’s season will finally come to an end this Sunday, with the reserve team managed by club legend Raul facing their most difficult challenge of 2022-23.

After a long campaign that started with pre-season training last July, Castilla, made up of Madrid’s brightest youth prospects, visit Eldense in the second leg of their promotion play-off final. The tie is intriguingly poised after a 1-1 draw in Madrid last weekend. The winners will go up to Spain’s second tier.

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Castilla have not played at that level since 2013-14. The last group to win promotion was that of 2011-12, a squad that featured four of the senior side’s current players: Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez, Nacho and Joselu, who has just re-joined Madrid.

The fact that Eldense have not lost at home in the league all season tells you everything you need to know — and nobody at Madrid is taking the task lightly.

But there is also great excitement about what Castilla have already achieved. Especially after their comeback victory over Barcelona’s reserve team in the previous round.

The Athletic profiles six players to look out for on Sunday… and beyond.

Rafa Marin, 21, defender

Born in Seville, Marin joined the club in 2016 from Sevilla’s academy. Now 21, he is the leader of Castilla’s defence. No one has played more minutes than him, with 3,510. He has contributed two goals and one assist.

Reports in Valdebebas describe him as a powerful centre-back with a great aerial game. He is 6ft 2in, aggressive, solid in his marking, comfortable defending in a high line and with the ball at his feet. All of this matches the first-team’s desired style.

Marin has had some lapses in concentration that have cost goals but, in general, his level has been consistently high. He was not among the youth prospects who travelled with Madrid’s squad for the Club World Cup, but he is keen to go on the pre-season tour of the U.S. this summer.

The renewal of his contract, which runs out in 2024, has been a topic of conversation in recent months. Negotiations are ongoing between the club and Marin’s representatives. The player has suitors from elsewhere and at the moment his extension is up in the air. He has always expressed his priority is to stay, but anything can happen.

Mario Martin, 19, defender

Born in Toledo, Martin joined in 2015 from Odelot Toletum, a football school with links to Madrid. A holding midfielder, he has played 2,418 minutes (the ninth-most in the squad) and is the linchpin of this Castilla side. Sunday will mark his 50th appearance for the team.

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Martin has made a great leap in his performances this season, and in October was called up for the first time by Spain Under-19s. He was part of Madrid’s first-team squad on 10 occasions over 2022-23, including at the Club World Cup and the Champions League last-16 first leg at Anfield.

In the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey against Atletico Madrid, he made his senior debut, playing five minutes in extra time. Carlo Ancelotti and his coaching staff are delighted with what he has shown in training with the senior pros.

Madrid, who in 2022 renewed his contract until 2026, see him as a player with a very strong character and mentality. They also praise how he organises and commands the team — essential for launching Castilla’s play from the back — as well as his aerial ability.

Carlos Dotor, 22, midfielder

Born in Madrid, Dotor joined the club in 2015 from Rayo Majadahonda. In 2020, he was part of the under-19 squad that won the UEFA Youth League, managed by Raul. The former Madrid striker sees him as a key part of Castilla’s midfield, like Martin.

Dotor’s good work, always completed with minimal fuss and at the service of the team, has also been rewarded with two call-ups from Ancelotti. He was an unused substitute against RB Leipzig in the Champions League and Real Sociedad in La Liga last season.

At Valdebebas, he is compared to Nacho because of his personality and approach to the game. They highlight his commitment, character and leadership. He is described as “the heart of Castilla”.

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In sporting terms, he attracts praise for the intensity with which he seeks to recover and retain possession. His ability in the opposition box is also admired. He has scored 11 goals from midfield this season, two of them in the key matches against Barca Atletic.

Dotor’s contract expires in 2024 and his future will be decided from Monday. It is expected that he will stay with Castilla to play in Spain’s Segunda Division if they win promotion. However, if they fail to go up, he could leave.

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His situation is reflective of Madrid’s policy with their best young talents.

Madrid know he needs to leave for his development — with the first team so strong in midfield, it’s unlikely he will feature for Ancelotti next season — and the player himself is keen to play regularly at a higher level. So the most likely outcome would be to see him sold in a deal that includes a future clause for him to return.

Sergio Arribas, 21, attacking midfielder

Born in Madrid, Arribas has been at La Fabrica for more than a decade, having joined from Leganes in 2012. He was another member of the under-19 squad that won the UEFA Youth League under Raul.

He is a skilful talent who can act as a playmaker or as a false right winger and is the second most-used player in the Castilla squad this season, with 3,117 minutes. Despite not being a striker, he has scored 20 goals and provided seven assists.

Those who observe his work at Valdebebas admire his ability in front of goal and the way he helps the team connect, while also applauding his control in tight spaces.

This season, he was called up by Ancelotti nine times and played four games for the Madrid first team: in their first match in the Copa del Rey in January, in the Club World Cup and in La Liga against Elche and Real Sociedad. In the Club World Cup, he scored shortly after coming on as a substitute in the 4-1 semi-final win over Al Ahly.

Arribas has a contract until 2024 and his future, like Dotor’s, will be analysed this summer. If Castilla are not promoted, he too, might leave. Again like Dotor, any deal would likely see Madrid retain an option for him to return.

If Castilla go up to the second division, however, there will be much more to talk about, because he will be essential to their success but will still have many suitors, some of whom have been calling insistently for some time.

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Alvaro Rodriguez, 18, striker

Born in Palamos on the Costa Brava, Rodriguez arrived at Madrid in 2020 from Girona. Barcelona had received reports on him but decided against pursuing him.

At the time, Rodriguez was playing as a winger. Madrid’s youth coaches have re-moulded him into a centre-forward, a process that has involved a video study of Romelu Lukaku.

At Valdedebas, he is described as a No 9 who is great in the air, who can hold up the ball, and who knows how to create space for others. They believe there are few players like him.

At the start of the season, Rodriguez was expected to be a backup to fellow striker Iker Bravo, a former Barca youth player who had been signed on loan from Bayer Leverkusen. But backed by Raul — Rodriguez’s childhood idol — he turned the situation around.

His performances have been so impressive that he was called up to the first team 13 times, making eight senior appearances. He scored his first senior goal in the 85th minute of a home La Liga game against Atletico, securing a 1-1 draw.

Rodriguez’s presence in Castilla’s side has therefore suffered, as he also played in the South American Under-20 Championship with Uruguay (his father is Uruguayan) but he has still contributed seven goals and two assists in 2,156 minutes. Statistics aside, Raul values his defensive work highly too. He is under contract until 2027.

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Ancelotti liked him above all because he brought a profile Madrid didn’t have. The Italian has previously said Rodriguez will be in his first-team squad for next season. However, this was never completely decided, and the arrival of Joselu is another sign that it might not be the case. Still, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see ‘El Toro’, as he is known, back with the senior pros again soon in his UK size 13.5 boots.

Nico Paz, 18, forward

Born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Paz joined Madrid in 2016 from Tenerife. He is the son of ex-footballer Pablo Paz, a defender who played for Argentina at the 1996 Olympic Games and the 1998 World Cup.

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Paz is an attacker but is following his father’s footsteps in terms of his international career. In January, he played for Argentina at the South American Under-20 Championship. Senior national team coach Lionel Scaloni even included him in a 44-strong provisional squad before the World Cup. At Madrid, they can’t understand why the Spanish Football Federation has never tried to call him up.

Paz’s progression has been meteoric in recent months. An indisputable starter in the under-19 team managed by Alvaro Arbeloa, he was only promoted to Castilla in January. Since then, he has played 17 games with Raul’s side, starting each of the promotion play-off games and scoring against Barca Atletic in the first leg.

His power and technique are much admired, as well as his physical resilience in individual battles and close control in tight spaces.

Paz has a contract until 2027. The talented player has caught Ancelotti’s eye and has been called up for several first-team training sessions. Ancelotti included him in the Madrid squad for their first Copa del Rey match of the season in January, and for the La Liga visit to Real Sociedad in May, although he is yet to make his debut.

(Top photo: Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

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