What FC Barcelona can do, Real Madrid can do better. That’s the theme in this Goal.com report that focuses on Real Madrid’s search of the globe for the new Lionel Messi.

Julen Lopetegui is the chief international talent scout for los Merengues and he is a buoyant and optimistic mood when speaking about the chance of discovering another Messi. He says:

"Our youth teams are very good and have various stars coming up. There will be some surprises in four years time. Brazil exports around 500 professional footballers every year.

"You can find some marvelous surprises that nobody has heard of. They are different, not better. They are very technical and they can perfect the rest, like in Africa. Our job is to find the unpolished ones. We study the players that we have been told about first and we watched them. We do not just go to a country blind and have a look about. Our aim is to familiarise ourselves before they become known and the price goes up."

Actually Real do not boast a history of nurturing young players of late but they have produced some fascinating players in the recent past, like Iker Casillas, Raul and Guti.

But the director of the club's couting system is right about one thing - that a club as big as Real Madrid have the ability to seduce foreign young players to the academy. After all, which promising young footballer wouldn’t like to feature for the biggest and most successful club in the world?