Real Madrid Eye Granada's 16-Year-Old 'Bellingham' as La Fábrica Rebuild Continues
Real Madrid are reportedly in the race to sign Owen Mira, Granada's 16-year-old winger being compared to Jude Bellingham, as Los Blancos reshape their academy.
Real Madrid’s recruitment team are at it again in the youth market, and this time they’ve got their eyes on a teenager from Granada who’s already turning heads across Spain.
Who Is Owen Mira?
The name to know is Owen Mira, a 16-year-old winger currently at Recreativo Granada — the Granada academy setup — and already training with the club’s reserve side despite only being in his first year of juvenil football (born 2009). The comparison doing the rounds? None other than Jude Bellingham, and it’s not just lazy hype — Mira stands at 1.92 metres, cuts a powerful athletic figure, and apparently plays with a similar dynamic style to Madrid’s own England midfielder.
First reported by Rodra at ESPN, the story has legs, and Real Madrid are said to have entered the race “in force” according to Marca.
Why Madrid?
A few things are worth flagging here:
- La Fábrica needs reinforcing — Madrid have been actively planning their academy recruitment for next season, and Mira is reportedly the standout name on their list right now.
- This isn’t the first time Madrid have gone to Granada for talent. Last summer they were in talks to sign central defender Oscar Naasei for Castilla, so there’s a working relationship of sorts between the two clubs.
- Mira is already attracting interest from multiple clubs, so Madrid will need to move sharp if they want to get this one over the line.
The Deal Already Done
While the Mira situation is still bubbling away, Madrid have already confirmed one incoming addition for next season — Aimar García, an 18-year-old centre-back signed from Atlético Madrid’s academy. It’s becoming a bit of a habit, this — Los Blancos nicking promising youngsters from their city rivals.
García is a big lad himself (also 1.92m, as it goes), currently playing for Atlético C in the Tercera Federación, and has apparently been involved in first-team training sessions under Simeone. Decent pedigree, then.
The Bigger Picture
Madrid clearly want to build something serious at youth level again. Signing a player already being dubbed the next Bellingham is the sort of move that gets fans excited — though obviously, at 16, it’s very early days and these comparisons can be a bit of a double-edged sword for any kid.
Still, if the reports are right and Madrid are going in hard for Mira, it suggests their scouts genuinely rate him. Worth keeping a very close eye on this one.