The 2026 Ballon d’Or had a strong Spanish accent. Of the 12 awards presented in London, eight went to Spanish soccer. The winners included Alexia Putellas, who won her third Ballon d’Or, Luis de la Fuente as best coach, Lamine Yamal and Vicky López as best young players, and Cata Coll and Unai Simón as best goalkeepers.
And the titles are not only in the awards: the men’s national team won the 2026 World Cup, held in Mexico, the United States, and Canada, and in September the women’s U20 national team became world champion in Poland. It is a great moment for our soccer.
For Nomadar and Cádiz CF, this recognition is motivation to keep working the way they do every day in the youth academy. Luis de la Fuente put it well when he received his award: “soccer, like life, teaches us that success is never final, but a consequence of daily work, passion, and the ability to keep learning.” That is the same idea the Cádiz CF youth academy follows.
And that work is already producing results. Two players from the Cádiz CF youth academy have been called up by their national teams. Mario Lobato, a left back on the U16 A team, will play with the Spain U15 National Team in the UEFA Development Tournament in Austria, from October 28 to November 2.
Jan Saltzman, a center back on the U19 B team, has been called up to the Sweden U17 National Team for the European Championship qualifying round in Albania, from November 8 to 18. They wear different jerseys, but both trained in the same environment.
That environment is supported by the methodology of the HPT (High Performance Training) program, which Nomadar and Cádiz CF apply in the youth academy and which is inspired by the standards of Spanish professional soccer.
Having two players from the same youth academy reach the national teams of two countries confirms the level of the daily work and the path that Nomadar and Cádiz CF want to keep building together with young talents.