26.05. A bad start for Real Madrid B, losing 4-1 in their first play-off match at Almería. Valdo scored in the first half, but their opponents came back with four after the break.

19.05. Real Madrid's B team have qualified for the play-off to the second division A, and so the youngsters' season is extended by another six weeks to the end of June.

12.05. Valero and Soldado started for Spain's under 17's in their European Championship semi-final with France. The game went to a penalty shoot out which Spain lost, the French keeper saving twice, including one from Soldado. Both played part of the third place playoff against England, which Spain also lost. Rubén played in central defence alongside Pavón in Madrid's last league match of the season at Deportivo as Del Bosque rested his key players for the Champions League final. Madrid lost and ended the season in third place.

05.05. Valero and Soldado played both of Spain's remaining group games in the under 17 championship, with Soldado scoring against Moldavia. Both started in the quarter final against Denmark, with Soldado scoring again before the two were substituted in the second half. The match went to penalties, and Spain went through to the semi-finals. With Real Madrid B wanting to make sure of playing in the second division B play-offs as group winners, none of the youngsters were called up for the first team.

28.04. Borja Valero and Roberto Soldado were called up for the under 17 squad for the European championship finals. Both started the first game against the Czech Republic, and Soldado got one of the goals in the 4-1 win. Recoba was included in the under 19 squad for their qualifying game at Macedonia, coming on midway through the second half. No youngsters included in the two first team games, the Champions League semi-final victory at Barcelona and the league defeat at Real Sociedad.

21.04. Portillo was called up for Spain's under 21 squad in place of the injured Betis striker Dani and made his international debut in the second half. Miñambres, Rubén and Raúl Bravo all started the game, with Bravo playing in left midfield. Spain won 2-1. All went back to Real Madrid B at the weekend.

14.04. Again Del Bosque only used first team squad players against Bayern Munich in the Champions League return leg. Raúl Bravo started the game against Osasuna in place of the suspended Roberto Carlos, but was replaced an hour into the game by Munitis with Madrid losing. Miñambres, Rubén and Raúl Bravo were all called up for Spain's under 21 friendly against Yugoslavia next Tuesday.

07.04. No place for the boys in the Champions League quarter final tie at Bayern Munich, nor for the weekend match against Rayo.

31.03. Iñaki Sáez called up four B team defenders, Miñambres, Rubén, Raúl Bravo and finally Borja (a last minute replacement) for Spain's under-21 international against Holland. All got a run out as the team won 0-3, but they went back to the B team at the weekend.

24.03. Javier Portillo was the name on everyone's lips as he came on for his first team debut as substitute in the Champions League at Panathinaikos and scored a brilliant equalising goal late on. He was one of eight B team players in the squad, with Rubén, Raúl Bravo and Miñambres (in midfield) all starting, Portillo and Valdo coming on in the second half and César, Sousa and Borja on the bench. Portillo went back to the B team at the weekend and scored twice in the derby against Atlético B in front of a packed crowd, most of whom had come to see him.

17.03. Raúl Bravo started the Champions League game against Sparta Prague and Miñambres came on in the second half on the right of midfield, setting up the second goal for Guti. Bravo then made the third for Savio with a long cross. Nobody made it to the first team squad though for the weekend league game at the Nou Camp.

10.03. Roberto Soldado (midfield) and Borja Valero (forward) played for Spain's under-17s in the triangular qualifying tournament for this summer's European championship. Valero came on as substitute against Austria and scored the only goal, and then started against Denmark and got two of the three goals. Soldado played the first half in the first game and all the second. No game for any of the boys either in the Spanish cup final midweek against Deportivo or at the weekend against Villarreal.

03.03. Two of the Real Madrid under-16s, Jurado and Tebar, were called up by Spain for a four way tournament in Portugal with the hosts, Finland and Sweden. Another chance for the B team players in the Champions League at Porto, with Miñambres and Raúl Bravo coming in as Del Bosque rested key players. Portillo travelled with the squad, but was eventually the odd man out and had to watch the game from the stands. All went back to the B team at the weekend.

24.02. No youngsters called up for the midweek Champions League game against Porto nor for the weekend league match against Alavés.

17.02. Three youngsters, Miñambres, Raúl Bravo and Rubén were called up by Iñaki Saez for Spain's under-21 friendly match at Andorra, and each played forty five minutes as the manager tested out a squad of new players. The game ended 1-1, with a penalty goal from another of Real Madrid's on-loan youngster, Espanyol's David Aganzo. All went back at the weekend to Real Madrid's B team, who are currently lying second in their second division B group.

10.02. With Salgado suspended and Geremi on international duty with Cameroon, Miñambres made his home league debut against Las Palmas. It couldn't have been better, the full back playing the whole game and rounding things off setting up Morientes for his fifth goal and his team's seventh. Rubén was on the bench but didn't play, and with Raúl injured Portillo trained with the first team squad, although he went back to play for the B team on Sunday.

03.02. Another week without the presence of the youngsters, both in the second leg cup match and the weekend game at Espanyol.

27.01. Young Real Madrid B striker Carlos Aranda has agreed terms with Numancia and goes on loan to the end of the season. Del Bosque took his first choice squad to Bilbao for the cup semi-final, so no B team players included. Ditto in the weekend game against Betis.

20.01. Miñambres, Raúl Bravo and Borja all came on in the second half of the quarter final second leg game at Rayo Vallecano. Full squad available for leage match at Málaga, so no youngsters involved.

13.01. Del Bosque put out full strength sides in the cup and league, and no youngsters were called up other than Carlos Sánchez, reserve keeper, in the absence of the injured César.

06.01. Pavón has signed a new contract and has been promoted to the first team squad, and will wear the number 22 shirt. He will therefore disappear from these pages, but will obviously feature in our weekly match reports. He is now part of Del Bosque's first choice eleven and played the full game in the 3-1 victory over Deportivo. He did however give away the penalty on Víctor which lead to Depor's goal. Manuel Sánchez García, known as "Manu", has left Real Madrid B to join Málaga.

30.12. Twelve year old Lionnel Franck Djimgou scored a hat-trick in the final of the international seven-a-side youth tournament, and is being touted as the next rising star in their ranks. Lionnel is from Cameroon, and was on Valencia's books before being enticed away by his present club.

23.12. Miñambres came in at right back for the second leg cup tie against Nàstic in an otherwise full strength side. Pavón was rested, with Karanka taking his place. B team keeper Carlos Sánchez made his first team debut for the last ten minutes when Casillas got sent off, and with César injured, played the full 90 minutes in the league at Mallorca. Two young keepers went as cover, Diego Arroyo who actually played the day before for the B side against Mensajero in the Canary Islands, and Codina from Real Madrid C who went just in case Arroyo missed his flight. Pavón returned for that match.

16.12. A big opportunity for the youngsters again in the cup at Nàstic, although they put in a disappointing performance losing 1-0 in the first leg. Pavón and Raúl Bravo started the game, with Miñambres and Borja coming on in the second half. Back to normal at the weekend, with Pavón playing in the league against Real Sociedad.

09.12. Pavón played the full matches again in the 3-0 Champions League victory over Panathinaikos and the 0-2 win at Tenerife. With a fully fit first team squad, no other youngster was called up.

02.12. Pavón and Raúl Bravo played in a back four with Geremi and Karanka in the second round cup match at Lanzarote. Both played the full 90 minutes, with Pavón getting his first goal for the first team, heading home Figo's corner to complete their 1-3 victory. C team central defender Bernabé Ballester was called up by Del Bosque for training with the first team on Thursday. The player is 19 years old, and has been with the club for five years. Only Pavón played in their league victory over Osasuna at the weekend.

25.11. Despite the recovery of Karanka, Pavón was in the side for the Champions League game at Sparta Prague. He had another good game despite giving the ball away for Sparta's first goal and accidentally deflecting Sionko's shot past Casillas for the second. Madrid won 2-3. Javier García Portillo, centre forward of Real Madrid C, will be renewing his contract shortly. Portillo has scored 18 goals already in the C team this season, and has played twice for Real Madrid B, where he has already netted once.

18.11. Pavón kept his place for the home match against Sevilla, but with Roberto Carlos back, Raúl Bravo returned to the B team.

11.11. Pavón and Bravo were in the starting line up once again for the league match at Zaragoza. However this time things didn't go quite as well, with Madrid losing the game 2-1 thanks to a last minute strike from Acuña. Youngsters Alvaro and López both played in the Spanish under 19 side who defeated Switzerland to qualify for the next phase of the European tournament.

04.11. With nothing to play for in the last Champions League match of phase one, Del Bosque took no less than eight B team players on the long journey to Lokomotiv Moscow. Miñambres, Pavón and Raúl Bravo started the match, and Valdo, Rubén and Aranda came on in the second half. Borja stayed on the bench, as did Sousa, who has been called up several times now but has never been able to make his first team debut. The team lost and to cap it all their plane hit a large bird on take off and had to go back to Moscow. Pavón and Raúl Bravo kept their places for the big match against Barcelona on Sunday, Pavón keeping out Iván Helguera and Bravo replacing Roberto Carlos despite his claims that he was fit enough to play. The two contributed to their clean sheet against Rivaldo, Kluivert and company.

28.10. Del Bosque gave Pavón another game in the Champions League against Roma, and with Hierro suspended and Roberto Carlos injured, Pavón and Raúl Bravo both played the full 90 minutes in the league game at Villarreal which Madrid won 2-3 in the last minute.

21.10. With Karanka injured, Iván Campo on the verge of a nervous breakdown and Iván Helguera not fully match fit, Pavón was given a start in the Champions League game at Anderlecht. He was joined in the second half by Rubén, who replaced Hierro, and once again the side kept a clean sheet. Raúl Bravo was a non-playing substitute. Pavón kept his place for the league match against Celta which they drew 1-1.

14.10. Another opportunity for the youngsters in the cup game at Pájara Playas Jandía on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura. Del Bosque lined up a Real Madrid B back four of Oscar Miñambres, Pavón, Borja and Raúl Bravo, with two other youngsters Rubén and Valdo on the bench. Madrid won the game 0-4, with Miñambres making two of the goals for Guti and Savio with crosses from the right. With Roberto Carlos injured, Raúl Bravo kept his place for the game at Alavés, and Pavón came on before half time in place of the injured Karanka. The youngsters helped their team keep their third clean sheet in a row after having the worst goals against record in the league.

07.10. Right back Alvaro played in Spain's under 19 victory against Switzerland. A great opportunity for others in the league with many stars on international duty. Borja and Raúl Bravo travelled to Las Palmas with the first team squad, but didn't get on as their team lost. At the weekend Raúl Bravo started the game against Athletic Bilbao at left back with Borja, Pavón and Valdo on the bench. Valdo, who has been compared with Arsenal's Thierry Henry both in looks and style of play, came on for the injured Geremi on the right of midfield just before half time and had a hand in both goals. Pavón, a central defender, replaced Raúl Bravo twenty minutes from the end.

30.09. Borja Fernández from Real Madrid B was the surprise in the squad for the Champions League, although the defender-turned-midfielder didn't get a chance to come on. He has been with the club for six years and this was his first call up. In fact he thought it was a joke when the technical staff asked what name he wanted on his shirt. Two players from the youth sides were called up for the under 20 European championship game against Switzerland next month, Alvaro Arbeola Coca (Alvaro) and Pedro López Pérez de Tudela (López), and two more were named in the Spanish under 17 squad to play England in Bristol on 3rd October, Alejandro Pérez Aracil (Alex) and Roberto Soldado Rillo (Soldado).

23.09. Three players from Madrid's junior teams, Jesús Fernández, Diego León and Palencia, were called up in Spain's under 17 squad for the youth World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago. Jesús started at right back in all three games, doing well in the first two but giving away a penalty for handling and then getting himself sent off for a second yellow card against Argentina. Diego León came on in midfield during the second half in the games against Oman and Burkina Faso, then started the game against Argentina. He impressed with his style of play which resembles that of Guti, and made Spain's second goal against Argentina with a precise pass to Senel. Palencia didn't make an appearance, although he would have come in to the defence in place of the suspended Jesús if Spain had qualified for the quarter finals.

15.09. Oscar Miñambres is the best placed to break into the first team, as there is no natural replacement for Roberto Carlos. Has been in the squad for some games, although with Solari and Karanka also able to play at left back was not in the last call up for the game with Málaga.