Former Real Madrid youngster Jack Harper says growing up in the youth team at the Santiago Bernabeu was a good education for him but he was ready for first team football.
The Scotland youth international left the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer to join Championship side Brighton and Hove Albion.
He had been touted as on of the brightest talents to emerge from the Real Madrid academy, but with too many stars in his way blocking his route to regular football with the 10-time Champions League winners, he decided to leave and experience a new league altogether.
Looking back at his time at the club, Harper told journalists: “I was like a normal Spanish boy, playing in my home town. I was close to a Seville move, then Madrid intercepted it. I couldn’t say no to Real Madrid, they are my favourite team in Spain so I didn’t need to think about it. I was at RMCF with another 50 boys. I was the youngest boy. Some of the 50 older than me have made it to lots of big clubs.”
But looking at his future, he said he had to leave Real because it was a complicated place to be.
“It was great to play there. Real have a good philosophy. To get the Spanish game & now learn the English game is good for me. Real Madrid is a complicated place. Most players learn the youth side and then maybe be prepared for the footballing world. To break into the Real Madrid first team is really hard. Now I’m 19 it’s time to look at first team football,” he commented.
