A lot of time has passed since Alejandro Díaz de la Rosa spent time at Real Madrid and Atlético. It coincided, now that he is in the spotlight, with José Mourinho who took him to train with the Real Madrid first team. At 34 years old, and after his retirement in 2017, he has, however, a very different life to that of any professional footballer after hanging up his boots. He is the CEO of PA Team Soccer Spain. UEFA PRO Coach by RFEF, Sports Director also by RFEF... and graduated in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences. Son of a historic Real Madrid player, Isidro Díaz, Alex quickly realized that his life would extend beyond the playing field. "When I decided to stop playing football... I was more focused on the issue of being a coach and trainer. I was at the Real Madrid Foundation with the international project, seeing how I was going to develop once I had left the footballer stage. And I thought: how can I really instill values that would be good for football? Unfortunately, we are seeing a lot of things that I don't agree with, and I believe that, as trainers, we have to take a step towards helping footballers", reports MARCA. "Since playing until today, especially in grassroots football, many values have been lost because now only competition is prioritized and we leave aside training and the pleasure of sporting activity", he explains, making clear the basic ideas around which his project revolves. Alejandro Díaz leads PA Team Soccer Spain, a group f
formed by athletes who seek to develop "experiences focused on preparing young people with the aim of improving their level during their growth phase". PA Team Soccer Spain was born as "a parallel formation" for footballers. However, over the years, it has transformed into a comprehensive sports management company covering national, international, education and project design. "At this moment, we have reached the point where the academy is always full of applications with players selected and oriented towards High Performance. We have our 'scouting' team that is dedicated to observing footballers throughout the year and programming a group of between 12-14 footballers per year with whom we work and help them evolve. The relationship with all the clubs is excellent, as we are an improvement tool for their players and we are always available to help the clubs with whatever they need." But don't get confused: PA Team Soccer Spain is not a representation agency. We escape this world: "I don't like it at all because I experienced it as a player." In this specialized treatment for young footballers, however, they seek to help with aspects such as nutrition, physiotherapy, game analysis or recovery from injuries. “This project would not be possible without the professional team behind it.” The Academy in Madrid, tournaments, the 'performance Lab', the 'Pro Experience' (where they welcome players from all over the international scene with a desire to
progressing and implementing the philosophy of Spanish football in your game), the 'Next Level' or experiences in Spain are some of the strengths of PA Team Soccer Spain. In addition, they collaborate annually with the Vicente del Bosque Campus and the Álvaro Morata Foundation, among others. However, in terms of education, they also stand out: they tutor and accompany international athletes who are looking to complete their studies and support them by playing at the highest level in Spain. Furthermore, scholarships in the United States are increasingly one of the options most chosen by families. The PA Team is heading towards its tenth anniversary with the same illusion as the first day, new announcements of international headquarters openings and a clear path: the training of high-performance athletes taking care of all the details and efficient, top-quality sports management. One of these players who grew up in the 'PA Team' was, for example, Thiago Pitarch. The first to come through his academy and make his Champions League debut.