Real Madrid open UK search for the next Cristiano Ronaldo in Croydon
London borough has decent track record with Roy Hodgson, Ian Wright and Wilfried Zaha emerging from its ranks
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REAL MADRID are opening their first football school in the UK to find the next Cristiano Ronaldo... in Croydon.
Croydon has spawned a number of international managers and Premier League players.
Former England boss Roy Hodgson, and Crystal Palace stars Wilfried Zaha and Jason Puncheon amongst them, who were born or grew up there.
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But nothing like the likes of Ronaldo or Gareth Bale.
Los Blancos, who have also seen both Ronaldos, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and David Beckham grace the Bernabeu in recent times, are set to open the academy in south London next week.
Club legend Emilio Butragueño, who played for the Spanish giants in the 1980s and 90s, is set to open the "social sport school" at The Cedars School.
Croydon is hardly known for its football history with its main club Croydon FC, known as 'The Trams', sitting in the non-league Southern Counties East League Premier Division.
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The Real Madrid Foundation - the club's charitable arm - already runs schools around the world.
In way or other Real Madrid work with more than 50,000 people in 75 countries worldwide
Youngsters aged between eight and 11 will be able to use the latest school, targeted particularly at south London youths who are economically or socially disadvantaged.
A statement from the Foundation in announcing the launch said: "The aim of the project is to support children and young people by offering them activities to develop their skills, both in sports and relational and social integration."
FOOTBALL STARS WHO HAILED FROM CROYDON
Roy Hodgson - managed (amongst others) England, Switzerland, UAE, West Bromwich, Liverpool, Fulham, Blackburn and Inter Milan Wilfried
Ian Wright - SunSport columnist who starred for Crystal Palace and Arsenal
Zaha - Crystal Palace winger who has also played for England and Manchester United
Jason Puncheon - current Palace midfielder formerly at Southampton
Nigel Reo-Coker - ex-West Ham, Aston Villa and Bolton midfielder who began his career with Wimbledon
Carlton Cole - former Celtic, West Ham and Chelsea centre forward
Steve Kember - ex-Crystal Palace and Leicester City star who also managed Palace
Butragueño is due to open the school link along with the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and representatives from Croydon Council on March 22.
Former striker, Butragueño, now Real Madrid's director of institutional relations, scored 123 goals in 341 games for Madrid and appeared in two World Cups for Spain.
The project is a partnership between the Foundation, The Cedars and Football for Unity, a non-profit pro-football organisation, with the support of the Kinetic Foundation, a Croydon sports charity that was set up in the wake of the riots in 2011.