PETE JENSON: Real Sociedad are punching above their weight in the Champions League despite being built on homegrown talent and astute recruitment… the Basque side are making waves and don’t plan to stop anytime soon

Barcelona started their Champions League game on Tuesday night without a single player in their line-up who had been born locally or come through the club’s youth system. It was the first time it had happened to them in the Champions League since the 2001-02 season.

About 350 miles northwest, and 24-hours later, Real Sociedad played their Champions League game against Salzburg and eight of their starting line-up were born in the surrounding Basque region – seven of those eight were products of the club’s academy.

That’s the first thing to understand about the Spanish club sitting on top of Champions League Group D – this is a story built around local heroes.

Just over 60 miles down the road in Bilbao their big rivals Athletic Club still have their strict Basques-only signings policy. Barcelona are a club built on philosophy of nurturing local talent but it’s ‘La Real’ who currently have Europe’s most impressive homegrown success story.

The academy products on the pitch on Wednesday were Aihen Muñoz, Igor Zubeldia, Aritz Elustondo, Alvaro Odriozola, Martin Zubimendi, Beñat Turrientes and Mikel Oyarzabal. The club has carefully reared a golden generation at their ‘Zubieta’ Academy, and they have produced two brilliant managers as well.

The Basque side qualified for the Champions League knockout stages with two games to spare

They are built around homegrown stars like Barcelona and Arsenal target Martin Zubimendi

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In his first coaching job Xabi Alonso got Real Sociedad’s B-team promoted to Spain’s second division in 2021. He now has Bayer Leverkusen top of the Bundesliga, and the only reason he is there and not now coaching the first team at Real Sociedad, is the quality of the first team’s current coach Imanol Alguacil. The 52-year-old, like Alonso, played for the club, and also coached the B-team from 2014 to 2018.

A top local coach working with a hugely talented homegrown squad is one layer of La Real’s success but they have also managed to bring in a raft of top class, shrewdly recruited, signings.

David Silva was the big name import in 2020. The former Manchester City midfielder said in an interview recently: ‘I had various options but I wanted to keep competing at the highest level and I heard so many good things about the coach and the style of play.’

But even before Silva signed the club were being clever in the market. Basque keeper Alex Remiro signed from Athletic Club, Alexander Isak joined from Borussia Dortmund for 10m euros (£8.6m). And Martin Odegaard came on loan from Real Madrid. That season the Swede scored nine league goals and the Norwegian was brilliant as La Real qualified for the Europa League.

The following year Odegaard went back to Real Madrid, and then to Arsenal. Real Sociedad turned to Silva, who ripped up plans to move to Lazio in favour of a glorious swansong playing for Alguacil.

In that 2020-21 season the team finished one place higher than in the previous campaign and not only did Silva sparkle in midfield, but Isak scored 17 La Liga goals.

Coach Imanol Alguacil is highly rated and has continually improved his side over recent years

They have also brought in a raft of top class signings in recent years such as David Silva

In the 2021-22 season Isak’s goals tailed off but that didn’t stop Newcastle paying 70m euros (£60m) for him in the summer of 2022. Real Sociedad had again made the Europa League and there was more, clever recruiting ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Japan international Take Kubo signed from Real Madrid for 6m euros (£5.2m) (with Madrid due 50 per cent of any sell-on fee) and Momo Cho arrived from Angers in France. A lightning-quick teenage winger who had been at both Paris Saint-Germain and Everton as a youth player and represented in England Under-16s before switching to France Under-21s, he looks another steal at just 11m euros (£9.5m).

Expect another Isak-style mark-up on him when they sell him further down the line. Not that there are any guarantees that they will sell him – Real Sociedad have the financial stability to not to need to cash in on developed players.

Last summer Arsenal and Barcelona both wanted 24-year-old holding midfielder Zubimendi but neither club could make it happen – in part due to Real Sociedad being able to stick to their 60m euros (£51.9m) release clause, and in part because the local lad Zubimendi doesn’t want to leave.

Right now there is quality throughout the squad. Kieran Tierney arrived in the summer from Arsenal to compete with Muñoz at left back. Robin Le Normand, French born but now a Spanish citizen, has become one of La Liga’s best centre-backs and a Spain starter.

Then there is former Newcastle midfielder Mikel Merino, who spent the 2017-18 season at St James’ Park playing 25 games, and is now in his sixth season at the Reale Arena where he is a leader who has also played his way into the Spain team.

Up front Mikel Oyarzabal is another Spain regular who has seven goals in nine starts for his club. Pep Guardiola considered him for Manchester City in 2019 and again in 2021. But like Zubimendi he was in no rush to leave.

Players want to join Real Sociedad as witnessed by the Silva story, and once there, there is this reluctance to go anywhere else. It’s a club where there is passion – with the old Anoeta Stadium remodeled as the Reale Arena no longer ruined by a running track and with 40,000 supporters doing ‘the Poznan’ after every goal.

Alexander Isak made his name at Real Sociedad before his £60m move to Newcastle

Mikel Oyarzabal is a Spain regular who has seven goals in nine starts for Real Sociedad

And there is patience, both in terms of the steady progress from Europa League to Champions League; and with individual players. Umar Sadiq became the club’s record signing in 2022 when he joined for 20m euros (£17.3m) after scoring 43 goals in 84 games for Almeria. His first season was ruined by a cruciate tear, and his second has started slowly, but his goal of the season contender last weekend was his first of the campaign and suggest he’s ready to follow in Isak’s footsteps.

How far Real Sociedad go in this season’s Champions League will still depend largely on the vagaries of the draw. If they come back from Milan in 10 days time having not lost to Inter they will finish top of the group and that ought to prolong taking on any of the competition’s heavyweights.

But even if they are back ‘concentrating’ on the league by March-April time they will not be fazed. They don’t plan on being one-season wonders. They want to finish top four again in Spain so they can return again next season.

It’s been a slow build to get where they are – the local foundation is rock solid and their work in the transfer market puts other similar-sized clubs to shame. They plan to be punching above their weight for many years to come.