Militão the latest product of the 'Calafat Academy'
Juni Calafat is the man behind the Bernabéu scenes responsible for the signings of Vinicius, Rodrygo and now Madrid's latest acquisition, Éder Militão.
The arrival of Éder Militão at Real Madrid can be mainly attributed to one man: Juni Calafat, the club’s head of international football.
A scout with a keen eye for young talent, Calafat spotted the 20-year-old Porto defender while he was still playing at Sao Paolo and has closely followed his rapid and successful adaption to European football in Portugal's Primeira Liga.
And Calafat’s positive reports on Militão to the Madrid board have ultimately led to his signing for 50 million euros, which was confirmed this Thursday.
Vinicius and Rodrygo
Since joining the club in 2015 as head of recruitment for South America, Calafat has played a major role in decisions on player acquisitions, especially those from Brazil, where he was also the man responsible for finding teenagers Vinicius and Rodrygo.
Acquired from Flamengo, Vinicius has been one of Los Blancos' standout players this season, while Rodrygo -- whom Madrid agreed to allow to remain on loan at Santos after they signed him from the Brazilian club last June for 45 million euros -- will make the move to the Spanish capital this summer.
Calafat is also responsible for the acquisitions of youth team players Augusto Galván (19), signed from Sao Paolo in 2017, and Rodrigo Antonio Rodrigues (18), bought from Novorizontino last summer.