The algorithm behind the royal family’s success

Julian Beauwar is not a well-known name, but it is very important to understand that he is an important element in Real Madrid’s recent successes. In terms of titles, but also in terms of level of play and feeling. The physical aspect is crucial in modern football, especially given how present it is in other leagues, and in almost every team in the world. Real Madrid did not want to be left behind and, since 2020, it has created a special department based on new technologies and startups. The solutions offered by new models and algorithms increasingly allow you to maximize results for the first-team players, but they are also applicable to Canter.

Under the name Real Madrid Next and with Julian Beauwar as the face of the project, eggs They focused all their efforts and attention on the physical aspect. In collaboration with Microsoft, they also developed a mathematical algorithm called ELO that allows them to evaluate each player during matches and training sessions. These evaluations create a technological file containing more than 200 aspects that allow the club to know where its players, including Castilla players, excel. Through these evaluations, the coaching staff receive feedback with recommendations covering their strengths and other elements (“potential change.” Player position”) where they can perform successfully.

“There are several aspects. Some we can’t have sometimes because of age groups and data protection, and others we have naturally through the use of video cameras, positioning, finishing, etc.,” explained Beuware at Sportechs: Digital Transformation in Sports Scoreboard, jointly organised by Servimedia and the Real Madrid Foundation. The technology also aims to “strive for excellence” and “optimally control the health of all players through physical performance, recovery data and individual monitoring systems for each athlete,” as Real Madrid itself explains on its website. Although the algorithm was implemented in 2020, it has been updated every season so far.

Preventing injuries and muscle problems is another thing that Real Madrid Next and the sports algorithm are trying to achieve. The data collected by the club, led by BioWare, allows us to predict “possible injuries and work on the optimal physical and mental development of the athlete”. That has been one of the strengths eggs This season, despite the many matches, the Real players have not suffered many injuries. Dani Carvajal is a perfect example. In the past, the Spaniard often ended up in the doctors’ offices, at least several times a season. In this case, he held up very well in a very long season, which also ended with winning the Euro 2024.

Piwowar also focuses on the academy, another of the club’s main challenges. The department he runs and the algorithm developed in collaboration with Microsoft pay special attention to Castilla and the lower categories. There is no need to prove to anyone that Real Madrid generates solid revenues every year from the sale of the players it trains, but the club goes a step further: each canterano, like the members of the first team and the players of the women’s team, has their own profile. Furthermore, finding a second place for these young players remains crucial because they are still young and, as recent years have shown, this is a very important aspect of modern football.

“Of course, we want to remain number one, so I won’t reveal any secrets,” said Piwoar, one of the driving forces behind the “Next Real Madrid” section. This is a club project based on the application of technology and sports algorithms to monitor physical performance, one of the most important elements when it comes to explaining recent successes. Now, with Mbappé as a decorative piece, the challenge will be even greater: to improve the performance of a player who is practically perfect in many respects.