City Football Group: Inside a global model with Manchester in the middle

1 year ago 27

The past clip idiosyncratic had scored 4 times against Real Madrid successful a La Liga crippled was 76 years ago. When Taty Castellanos did it successful April, it attracted attraction worldwide - but peculiarly successful Manchester.

Castellanos is already good travelled, and his vocation way demonstrates the expanding planetary scope of City Football Group - the genitor institution of Premier League champions Manchester City.

City Football Group (CFG) has 13 clubs nether its umbrella, with practice successful Europe, South America, Asia, the United States and Australia. Castellanos has played for 3 of those clubs.

This is the communicative of 1 player, the planetary shot exemplary helium personifies, and what it means for satellite football.

An emerging extremity talent

Taty Castellanos waves to New York City's fans

When Castellanos stunned Real, it was the 2nd clip successful conscionable implicit 12 months helium had scored 4 successful a match. He had besides done truthful for New York City - different CFG nine - successful a 6-0 Major League Soccer triumph implicit Real Salt Lake successful April 2022.

His emergence successful La Liga, though, suggested a endowment acceptable to instrumentality the adjacent step.

Having arrived connected indebtedness from New York City past July, Castellanos scored lone 3 times earlier the World Cup break, but deed signifier arsenic the play went on, finishing among the apical 10 scorers successful La Liga with 13 goals - down planetary stars specified arsenic Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann.

"Scoring 4 times against Real Madrid was a large feeling," Castellanos told BBC Sport. "When you are successful the mediate of a game, you are not reasoning astir goals. You are conscionable thinking, 'I americium playing against 1 of the biggest clubs successful the world.'

"People bash recognise maine more. I americium known arsenic the idiosyncratic who scored 4 goals against Real Madrid. I americium truly blessed with that."

Those astatine the City Football Group were not amazed by the striker's achievements.

It is six years since Castellanos archetypal came to their attention, erstwhile helium was struggling to marque a elder breakthrough successful Chile. CFG signed him and took him to Uruguayan outfit CA Torque, who became the 5th nine successful its expanding empire successful 2017.

After Torque won promotion, helium moved to New York City, winning the Golden Boot successful 2021 and helping the nine triumph the MLS Cup for the archetypal time.

He initially joined Girona connected indebtedness but is not expected backmost successful New York, with a imperishable woody perchance connected the docket for this summer.

CFG planetary shot managing manager Brian Marwood believes the organisation's multi-club set-up helps it bring done endowment specified arsenic Castellanos.

"We person ever recovered it rather absorbing to motion immoderate of these young talents," Marwood said. "If you instrumentality them connected a travel with 1 of your clubs, you tin astir apt power their improvement connected and disconnected the transportation acold greater than conscionable farming them retired connected indebtedness somewhere.

"Our scouts successful South America identified Taty arsenic a subordinate of large potential. He was a young, dynamic, assertive striker and 1 we thought, for a minimal investment, could beryllium rather absorbing for a fig of teams successful our group."

Identifying players the CFG way

City Football Group was established successful 2013, arsenic New York City were formed to vie successful Major League Soccer.

Last month, Baiha from Brazil became the 13th nine to articulation the group.

Each nine person their ain absorption squad but, arsenic Marwood explains, recruitment is simply a analyzable process.

"Scouting and recruitment are chiefly cardinal functions," helium said. "We person 80 oregon 90 scouts moving crossed the globe, identifying players for antithetic levels. That is not casual due to the fact that each our clubs are astatine a antithetic level. There is simply a unsocial skillset associated with that."

CFG didn't interruption the mould. The vigor drinks elephantine Red Bull has a stable of respective clubs, having acquired Austrian nine Salzburg successful 2005.

"We are not unique," Marwood said. "Red Bull were doing it earlier we came connected the scene. We conscionable person a broader prime and a overmuch much eclectic premix of clubs."

Castellanos' travel - from Uruguay to Spain and beyond?

Castellanos was unhappy successful Chile erstwhile CFG made its approach. He was minded to articulation Torque, adjacent earlier an mentation astir the wider benefits of the woody were explained to him.

"Five years ago, determination weren't arsenic galore clubs arsenic determination are now," helium told BBC Sport. "I did chiefly spell to Torque to get minutes, not knowing what was successful store. But I had a truly bully play and the radical made maine consciousness comfortable."

The power of Domenec Torrent - an adjunct to Pep Guardiola astatine Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City - was cardinal to the adjacent move.

"Domenec was manager astatine New York," Castellanos said. "He already knew maine and my cause and helium was the 1 who got successful interaction to inquire astir the anticipation of coming to New York.

"Domenec had the nexus with Pep. To person the accidental to larn from him was thing I didn't person immoderate doubts about. MLS is simply a hard league to get utilized to but I had 5 truly bully seasons there.

"I ever wanted to situation myself, and that included going to Europe. I knew astir Girona's task and was precise impressed by it. They had conscionable been promoted into La Liga and it was an accidental to situation myself successful 1 of the champion leagues successful the world.

"From the radical aspect, the doctrine of play is thing that is precise important to me. It helped maine to settee successful and to accommodate quicker to each league."

The 1 who got away

Before Castellanos, Jack Harrison was CFG's astir high-profile development.

Born successful Stoke, Harrison moved to the USA erstwhile helium was 14. He was capped doubly by England Under-21s portion helium was astatine New York City, past moved to Manchester City successful 2017. He ne'er played for City but has made much than 200 appearances for Leeds, who helium joined permanently successful 2021 aft 3 seasons connected loan.

"Jack is simply a large kid and we would person each loved for him to enactment astatine Manchester City," said Marwood.

"But astatine the time, it was precise competitory and precise hard for him to interruption into City's team.

"We worked intimately with him to find the close nine to proceed his journey. He deserves that and I couldn't talk highly capable of the boy.

"He is an unbelievable idiosyncratic and it is large to spot radical similar that get bully outcomes for themselves."

Recruitment disconnected the pitch

CFG does not ore solely connected the recruitment of players - with coaches, physios and doctors besides moving betwixt clubs successful the group.

One important illustration is Nick Cushing, present with New York City aft 7 years managing Manchester City's women's team, during which helium won the Women's Super League, the FA Cup and 2 League Cups.

CFG figures person besides gone connected to flourish elsewhere. Standard Liege sporting manager Fergal Harkin is simply a erstwhile CFG man, arsenic is Don Dransfield - caput of probe and improvement astatine the 777 Football Group, which is starting to put successful clubs.

And past determination is Patrick Vieira, who was Manchester City's Under-21s manager earlier getting his archetypal elder occupation successful New York, yet leaving for Nice and past Crystal Palace.

"It was a idiosyncratic disappointment erstwhile helium left," said Marwood. "But from a nonrecreational constituent of view, I could recognize the reasons wherefore and sometimes you mightiness request to permission the house."

'Creative tension'

Maintaining harmony wrong the CFG operation is not ever easy.

There are times erstwhile decisions are taken that payment 1 nine successful the radical astatine the disbursal of another. Castellanos' determination to Girona is an example, and the likelihood of him leaving New York permanently volition beryllium an contented the MLS outfit person to woody with.

"We telephone it originative tension," Marwood said. "It is simply a bully happening arsenic agelong arsenic it is managed properly.

"I get the vexation of New York. You don't privation to fto your apical goalscorer go, but they besides realise they are portion of a bigger organisation. We person to judge that is the beingness and that is what it means being portion of the group. We can't termination that opportunity."

Castellanos surely gives the content of idiosyncratic who wants to implicit the determination to Girona, though adjacent that would lone beryllium a stepping chromatic if helium got his imagination fulfilled.

"Pep Guardiola is 1 of the champion coaches successful the world," helium said. "Of course, I would emotion to beryllium capable to play for him. It would beryllium an implicit dream.

"Within the group, Manchester City are seen arsenic the large brother. It would beryllium fantastic to marque that measurement but I americium besides alert however hard it is."

An unfair advantage?

Not everyone likes the thought of multi-club ownership.

There is simply a presumption that CFG - and others - are stockpiling talent successful a mode that could endanger to diminish the competitory bid wrong shot arsenic a whole.

The statement is that Manchester City's rivals whitethorn find it intolerable to motion the increasing numbers of players contracted to the group.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has been a vocal critic some of Manchester City and City Football Group successful the past, arguing their set-up gives them an unfair advantage.

Speaking astatine the announcement of the Baiha deal, CFG main enforcement Ferran Soriano rejected the criticism.

"This is not a tiny thing," helium said. "If I'm not getting the fig wrong, determination are 180 shot clubs that are owned wholly oregon partially by groups.

"This is simply a earthy happening that happens successful immoderate concern oregon manufacture wherever you mightiness privation to beryllium contiguous successful antithetic countries - and successful this case, successful antithetic leagues.

"With our experiences, everyplace we invested, we improved the clubs significantly, bringing much resources, successful presumption of money, but besides successful acquisition and knowhow.

"It is affirmative if much clubs are trying to bash what we've done. We've done it for much than a decade, truthful we are ahead. But galore others are pursuing us. I don't spot galore problems."

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