Wonderkid Factories: RB Salzburg

So far in this series we have focused on clubs who have nurtured their youth players from a very young age all the way up to the first team, but today we’ll be looking at a slightly different success story and realistically a successful business model.

Red Bull have bought a number of clubs over the last decade, purchasing two in Europe with RB Leipzig and the team in question Salzburg. They were originally formed in 1933 as SV Austria Salzburg and played in violet and white kits. The club had its most dominant period in the 1990’s when they won 3 Austrian Bundesliga’s, 3 Austrian Supercup’s and a UEFA Cup.

However, when they were taken over by the Red Bull company in 2005 they had their kit colours completely changed and history scrapped with the head of the group saying “this is a new club with no history”. This alienated half of the supporters who were aggrieved by the change and formed a group called the “Violet-Whites”. The new ownership tried to appease them by offering to maintain the original colours only for the goalkeeper’s socks at away games but they saw it as an insult and formed a new club of their own, Austria Salzburg. RB Salzburg have now restored the club’s history all the way back to 1933 though.

Since the takeover, RB have become one of the most successful clubs in Austria and dominated the league, winning 12 titles, 8 Austrian Cups and becoming a regular in the Champions League group stage. The secret to the clubs success though, has come from their ability to bring in and develop talented young players from across the world and then sell them on for profit elsewhere.

That’s why Die Roten Bullen are a little bit of a unique entry on this list because ultimately their success isn’t really due to the academy at all but rather the shrewd acquisition of young players who have brought the club glory and huge wads of cash.

Quite often as well, Salzburg is a proving ground for players before they move to the affiliated Leipzig side to display their talents at a higher level. Hwang Hee-chan, Peter Gulacsi, Amadou Haidara, Dominik Szoboszlai and Naby Keita are all examples of players that have made that move. Others have been able to make the leap to bigger clubs abroad with the likes of Erling Haaland, Patson Daka, Takumi Minamino and Sadio Mane all making names for themselves around Europe.

That list of players alone is enough to prove that Salzburg know how to identify talent but who is next of the production line to join the rank of players we’ve already mentioned. Well here are our 3 picks for the ones to keep an eye on:

Luka Sucic (Central Midfield)

Sucic is one of the rare players who has been a part of Salzburg’s youth system for a while and he’s glided through the ranks. At just 19, he’s become a regular fixture in Die Roten Bullen’s first team, even grabbing a goal in one of their Champions League games this season. His potential has also been noticed by FM who have made him a wonderkid, and also by the Croatian national team, who have already capped him despite the embarrassment of riches they have in his position.

Karim Adeyemi (Centre Forward)

Another young player who’s made his mark quickly in Austria, Adeyemi was brought in by Salzburg three years ago and has flourished since. He was released by Bayern Munich as a kid and they’ll definitely be regretting it now with him bagging 15 goals in all competitions this season. On top of all that, Karim has also already made 3 appearances for Germany, even grabbing himself a goal.

Benjamin Sesko (Centre Forward)

Brought in from NK Domzale two years ago, Sesko has quickly blossomed into a future star. He has 7 goals and 3 assists in 21 total appearances this season and is possibly the best wonderkid on this year’s edition of Football Manager. At just 18, he’s also been capped seven times by Slovenia already and scored his first international goal.