All Stars Cup announces big haul – Atlético Madrid confirmed

The famous Spanish club has participated in the international youth tournament All Stars Cup three times so far and has always made it to the final round. In 2014, it finished 4th, and in 2017 and 2019 it even took bronze. And it will also grace its 12th edition next year.

The coronavirus pandemic caused the already traditional and globally recognised tournament for 16-year-old juniors to be suspended for three years (2020-2022). After its renewal, the organisers are trying to build on the original friendly relations and are attracting renowned clubs from different continents. And they are succeeding. They report a big catch – the famous Atlético Madrid.

Its youngsters have recognised the level of the tournament in the past. “And they have always been a highlight, achieving successful results,” Jiří Valín, who is in charge of communication with foreign countries, refers to the two third places (2017 and 2019) and one fourth (2014).

The Castilian club has been in a tug of war with Catalan Barcelona for participation, and has now been given priority. And surely it will not disappoint again, presenting performance-interesting players from its proverbial hatchery.

The resumption of the tournament after a three-year hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic was not easy and it took effort to lure foreign participants, even though they had more than one good experience with the tournament.

“The problem was that the people in charge of the youth management of the clubs changed and it was impossible to use the former friendly contacts,” reveals Jaroslav Novák, the founder of the project and the tournament director. It is all the more valuable when a club like Atlético Madrid has been attracted again.

Other problems are the increased expenses. “With foreign teams we used to pay for twenty-two people in tickets, 18 players and four members of the professional entourage, now Atlético has requested 22+6, i.e. six more passengers,” reveals Novák.

There was also a rather unexpected problem, insurance. “In the past, the clubs have provided this themselves, the players have year-round accident insurance in their own country,” Valín discusses. But even that was resolved after a mutual agreement.

So Atlético Madrid will visit Prague again for the All Stars Cup. In previous participations, it has always presented football-savvy individuals. The last time was in 2019, when one of them was the now twenty-one-year-old striker Víctor Mollejo, who is currently a guest at Real Zaragoza and has already got to know the level of the Spanish top competition.

Who will he show next year?

Source: All Stars Cup