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Real Madrid U-19 team wins UEFA Youth League, goalkeeper gets called up by Arbeloa

Javi Navarro stopped five penalties in the final and semi-final, and has been called up by Arbeloa for a LaLiga match.
Javier Escribano Editor Spain 21 April 2026

Real Madrid got crowned in the UEFA Youth League, contested between the Under-19 teams of the clubs that compete in Champions League. Madrid defeated Club Brugge in the final on Monday, April 20, in Lausanne: the match ended on penalties after a 1-1 draw, and Madrid goalkeeper Javi Navarro stopped two penalties. In the previous match, against Paris Saint-Germain, he stopped three penalties in the shootout, making him the hero of the team and the competition.

https://x.com/UEFAMensYouth/status/2046333083201483208

Navarro, 19 years old, got an addition reward: he has been called up to the squad list by Álvaro Arbeloa for the next Liga game tonight for Real Madrid, his debut in LaLiga. He won't play (he is behind Andreiy Lunin, first-choice goalkeeper when Courtois is injured, as well as Sergio Mestre, and was only called because the usual third choice, Fran González, is injured), but he will officially be at the bench of a Liga game, fifth game overall at the bench of the senior team (he was called for three Champions League games and one Spanish Cup match).

Thanks to Navarro's saves, Real Madrid won the second UEFA Youth League, a competition born in 2013. Barcelona won the competition last year and holds the record for more titles, three, and Real Madrid previously won the competition in 2019/20 against Benfica.

Editor Spain Javier Escribano wrote for Gamereactor from 2024, covering sport alongside video games and world news. His work appeared on the Spanish and international editions.
Full profile Gamereactor author since 2024 · 5,329 published articles
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