● Alumni
We don't promise a destination.
We teach the path of others.
We don't promise a destination.
We teach the path of others.
More than 900 players from over 30 nationalities have trained here since 2021. These are some of those who are now competing as professionals: in the Saudi Pro League, with their national teams, and in the Spanish women's First Division.
Every story started the same way: Someone stepped on the grass at a LaLiga club and the door opened.
+900
Players since 2021
+30
Nationalities
+300
In the 25-26 season
UEFA Pro
Technical management
REAL STORIES
a possible future.
Out of the more than 900 players who have passed through here, many achieved the dream of professional football. Training under the structure of a LaLiga club, with the CDL Method, UEFA Pro guidance, and GPS and VEO technology, turns talent into a real opportunity.
The stories
Where are they today.
Three players, three programs, three paths that don't resemble each other at all, only in the dream of becoming professionals.
PERFORMANCE YEAR
Khaled Al-Lazam
Arabia Saudí · FORWARD · Saudi Pro League
He arrived in 2021, after having done trials in Portugal. He didn't have an agent or a letter of introduction. He came to a session and asked if he could train.
«I told him to put on his boots. From his first touch, it was clear that there was something different about him.»
Faissal Chehade · Director of International Methodology
He played with C.D. Leganés C. After that, he went through another club in Madrid and returned to Saudi Arabia, where he climbed step by step: third division, second, and finally made his debut in the Saudi Pro League.
He didn't turn professional at Leganés: he started with a starting point, and he made the most of it over the next four years.
ELITE INTENSIVE
kumel Al-Rekabe
IRAK · GOALKEEPER · INTERNACIONAL
He arrived through a trial. No one in Europe knew who he was. Today he is an absolute international with the Iraq national team, was an Olympian in Paris 2024, and played in the Arabian Gulf Cup.
«He arrived after a test»
Five words that sum up the program.
His case explains what Elite Intensive is for. You train inside the club, with the group that matches your age and level, using the same method and the same eyes that watch everyone else.
ACADEMIC YEAR
Nouf Al-Anzi
Emiratos Árabes Unidos · Midfielder · Capitan of EAU
She played for C.D. Leganés and was the first Emirati female footballer to play and score in the Spanish women's first division. She is the captain of the United Arab Emirates national team and an Adidas ambassador.
While competing, he studied. In 2023, he graduated with an MBA in Sports Management from the Real Madrid Graduate School – European University.
«Fortunately, the number of women in soccer has been on the rise..»
Nouf Al-Anzi
He didn't choose between football and his career. He did both at the same time, and at a high level. That's exactly what Academic Year is built to allow.
They also passed through here
From India to Georgia, from Korea to Jordan.
These are other players trained at the International Academy. Some keep competing; others left the field but stayed in football.
India
Ishan Pandita
He went through the International Academy before joining C.D. Leganés C. First Indian footballer to sign with a Spanish First Division club.
south corea
Hyun Wook Jung
International winger. From C.D. Leganés to professional Asian football: today he plays for Young Elephants FC.
Georgia
Tornike Akhvlediani
Forward. After his time at the club, he signed with Dinamo Tbilisi: Champion of the Georgian League and Cup.
Argentina
Nacho Jiménez
Midfielder. He left C.D. Leganés for professional football and today plays in the United States, for Miami FC.
Jordania · EAU
Ahmad Salam Abu Shihab
Defense. Today he runs operations at Atomics Football: he left the field, not football.
And those who are coming
this season
Every year, hundreds of players train at the club. The list doesn't fit on one page.
We're not the ones saying it
The press has reported it before us.
From Madrid to Tokyo, from Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg. The press has written about what happens at this academy and about the players who have gone through it.
Frequently Asked Questions
About the alumni
More than 900 players from over 30 nationalities have been trained at the C.D. Leganés International Academy since 2021, when the club integrated the academy into its structure. In the 25-26 season, there were 343. Before 2021, the academy operated under an external license and its records are not consolidated.
No. Of the more than 900 players who have gone through the academy since 2021, most didn’t make it to professional football. That’s the truth for any academy in the world. What the International Academy offers isn’t a result: it’s a starting point. Training within the structure of a LaLiga club, using the CDL Method, competing against Spanish clubs, and leaving with an individual report that shows where the player really stands.
Most kept playing in their countries, in competitive leagues, with a year of training at a LaLiga club under their belts. Others stayed connected to football off the field: Ahmad Salam Abu Shihab now runs operations at Atomics Football. And some used the technical report to apply to other clubs. That document is theirs and it doesn’t expire.
Khaled Al-Lazam corresponds to what is now Performance Year: a full season within the club's structure. Kumel Al-Rekabe arrived after a trial, the entry route of Elite Intensive. Nouf Al-Anzi balanced competition and university studies, the path that now corresponds to Academic Year.
Performance Year · Elite Intensive · Academic Year
Players over 18 years old, or over 16 if they are from the EU, can register with C.D. Leganés teams and play in official competitions. Khaled Al-Lazam competed with C.D. Leganés C. Nouf Al-Anzi played in the club's first women's team.
Write to us at the club's International Area and we will evaluate your case. Many of our alumni continue to be connected to the football ecosystem, both on and off the field.
Get in touch with us.
Each application is evaluated individually. Tell us about your case and the International Area will get back to you with the conditions and availability for your profile.
One standard. One mindset. One team.
