Yago Aguilar Azón Takes Charge of NK Osijek Academy: Building a Pathway to the First Team

A talented young footballer can emerge anywhere. On a school pitch in Osijek, at a small club in Baranja, or at a local tournament far from the spotlight. Finding that talent is only the beginning. What matters most is what happens next: the environment, the guidance, the opportunities and the commitment to helping each young player fulfil their potential.

At NK Osijek, that responsibility now has a clear structure and an experienced leader.

From 15 October, Yago Aguilar Azón takes over as Academy Director, overseeing all age groups from U6 to U17 and leading the development of a pathway designed to prepare the most talented players for the demands of first-team football.

His appointment represents an important step in the Club’s broader strategy to strengthen its sporting foundations and build a sustainable future.

For NK Osijek, developing homegrown players is not simply a sporting objective. It is fundamental to the Club’s long-term financial sustainability, competitive ambitions and identity.

The Academy is central to the future of NK Osijek. Developing our own players is not only a sporting priority, but also a fundamental part of our long-term sustainability and identity. With Yago, we are bringing international experience into a club that already has strong foundations, talented young players and excellent facilities. Our ambition is to build a development system that consistently creates opportunities for local talent to progress into the first team — a system that will serve NK Osijek for years to come.
Alexandra Végh, President of NK Osijek

International experience, proven results

Yago arrives in Osijek with almost three decades of experience in scouting, coaching and developing young players across different football environments.

Most recently, he worked at Austin FC in Major League Soccer, where he joined as Director of Scouting before being promoted to lead the Academy and second team. During his time at the club, five Academy players made their MLS debuts, while three represented United States national teams.

His career began at Gimnàstic de Tarragona, within the Catalan football development system, where he progressed from Academy coach and scout to Youth Director. Under his leadership, 22 players made their professional debuts, while others progressed to clubs including FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, Villarreal, Espanyol and Málaga. Among the players he coached at youth level were future FC Barcelona players Sergi Roberto and Aleix Vidal.

His international career subsequently took him to Georgia, working with the FC Barcelona and FC Locomotive Tbilisi programme; Hong Kong, where 18 players made their professional debuts and more than 50 received national-team call-ups during his time at Kitchee SC; and the United Arab Emirates, where he worked with LaLiga Academy and Shabab Al Ahli.

He also served as Assistant to the Football Director at Wisła Kraków and as an adviser to Saudi Arabia’s Ministries of Sport and Education.
Yago holds a UEFA Pro Licence and the Spanish Football Federation’s Football Director qualification. He has also taught on the UEFA Pro Licence course at the Catalan Football Federation.

Across these different environments, one principle has remained central to his work: successful academies are built through clear standards, shared methodology and a genuine commitment to player development.

I chose NK Osijek because it looks like they are determined to have a successful academy, they already have good training facilities, and Croatia is always producing talent. At the same time, I could feel they were excited to have me on board, and I like the people who are part of the group.
Yago Aguilar Azón

For Yago, the commitment to developing young players must extend throughout the entire organisation.

The key factor for a successful academy is the belief from the board that it is an important piece for the future of the club. But it has to come together with a demand for excellence, making sure that every member of the academy is doing his best.
Yago Aguilar Azón

One Academy, one shared direction

The next stage of the Academy’s development will be built around a more integrated approach, connecting coaching, scouting, methodology and individual player development within one clear structure.

Yago will work alongside Ante Bekavac, who joins as Assistant Academy Director. The Club is also recruiting a Methodologist to ensure continuity and consistency across age groups, so that each stage of development builds naturally on the previous one.

The objective is not simply to develop successful youth teams, but to create a coherent football education that prepares players for the demands of the senior game.

I want us to work together as a team that talks openly, combining our ideas into one clear plan for player development. My job is to connect our big goals with our daily work. It will be a good way to challenge each other.
Yago Aguilar Azón

The Academy will also continue benefiting from the expertise of Albert Puig, whose experience includes many years in FC Barcelona’s youth development system and leadership of its youth football structure.

Puig has already spent time in Osijek, observing training, meeting Academy staff and assessing opportunities to further strengthen the development environment.

His involvement reflects an important principle behind the Club’s strategy: international knowledge should not simply be introduced into NK Osijek, but adapted, shared and embedded in the Club’s own football identity.

I found an academy with great potential for development and talented players. I was impressed by the wonderful, highly functional facilities designed for player development and by the coaches’ work. They are world-class facilities.

Albert PuigBuilding on those foundations, the focus will be on developing coaching processes, strengthening methodological consistency and creating an environment in which both players and coaches can continue to improve.

Puig believes Yago has the experience and character required to lead that process.

Yago Aguilar is a coach with extensive international experience in developing football academies. He is a highly industrious and organised individual with a proven track record in scouting and developing football talent. He is driven by great enthusiasm and passion to transform the Osijek academy into a leading institution in Europe.
Albert Puig

Developing players for the first team The ultimate ambition is clear: to prepare more Academy players to make the step into NK Osijek’s first team.

Achieving that requires more than identifying promising young footballers. It demands a consistent development philosophy, high-quality coaching and an understanding that every player progresses at a different pace.

All Academy age groups will work within a shared game model aligned with the first team’s footballing approach. Each player will also have an individual development plan, with technical, tactical, physical and personal progress considered throughout their journey. Talent identification and selection will remain demanding, while the development process will recognise the individual needs and potential of every young footballer.

As Puig explains, talent alone is not enough. Football intelligence, decision-making, technical ability and a genuine passion for the game are equally important qualities in a young player’s development.

For Yago, clear standards must go hand in hand with responsibility towards every player entrusted to the Academy.

Everyone will have to make efforts and trust the process. We need commitment from every Academy member and sincere communication. Each player has his own development timing, and we need to have the ability to adapt to it. We cannot promise a professional career to all of them, but we will treat everyone’s development as that of a potential professional player.
Yago Aguilar Azón

The opportunity to progress must be real and visible. Young players need to understand what is expected of them, how they can improve and what it takes to reach the highest level.

The Academy’s success will therefore not be measured by youth results alone, but by the quality of the players it develops and their readiness to compete in senior football.

Opening the door to the next generation

At the same time, NK Osijek wants every child who loves football to have a chance. In the coming months, the Club will launch the NK Osijek Football School, open to every child who wants to train and show what they can do. Football School players will train in the same methodology as the Academy. Led by Miroslav Žitnjak, who will also set up the new division, the Football School will report to the Academy and act as a gateway to it. A place in the Academy, however, is earned through selection and is never guaranteed.

The Osijek Football School serves as a vital foundation for talent selection for the academy. The school connects with the local community in the city of Osijek and the surrounding region, actingas a gateway to the academy. It will employ the same methodology as the academy; this symbiosis and communication between the two will yield greater positive results.
Albert Puig

The Football School is the first stage of our work and a big tool to connect the club and itscommunity. I see it as a place where children enjoy football, build strong basic skills, make friends and develop confidence. We also need to start setting the standards there.
Yago Aguilar Azón

Modern tools, individual development

The Academy’s development is already supported by investments in infrastructure, professional expertise and modern performance systems.

All age groups now operate on Teamworks, a centralised management platform designed to improve coordination and information sharing.

Brain First has been introduced into the selection process, while Catapult tracking is used across age groups up to U15. Selected Academy players also use Whoop devices, with the Club planning to extend their use to all players from U15 upwards.

These tools complement the work already being carried out by the Club’s coaches and performance specialists.

The Club’s nutritionist works with all Academy teams, players receive free dental care, and the physical and mental performance support available within the first-team structure has been extended to the Academy.

The objective is not technology for its own sake. It is to understand young players better, support their health and development, and enable coaches and specialists to make better-informed decisions.

“Data gives us information about training and games, shows how a player is improving, and helps us understand their workload and recovery. The most important thing is to use each tool for a clear reason, and to combine data with coaching, medical advice and conversations with the player. Collecting data is only useful if it improves a player’s development or well-being. We can never rely entirely on data, nor entirely on intuition.”
Yago Aguilar Azón

Technology can provide valuable insights, but people remain at the centre of the process. The relationship between players, coaches, families and the Club continues to be fundamental to successful long-term development.

Rooted in Slavonia and Baranja

While Yago brings international experience to Osijek, the Academy’s future will remain firmly connected to its home region. Slavonia and Baranja have a strong football tradition and a history of producing talented players.

Strengthening the connection between NK Osijek and the clubs, schools and coaches across the region will be one of the Academy’s priorities.

The Club is rebuilding its regional scouting network, with the aim of identifying talent earlier, developing stronger relationships with local football organisations and creating a clearer route for promising young players to enter NK Osijek’s development system.For the Academy to succeed, that relationship must be built on mutual trust and a shared responsibility for the development of young footballers.

As Puig emphasises, an effective development philosophy cannot simply be copied from another country or club. The best international practices must be combined with the specific qualities, culture and footballing characteristics of the local environment.

For Yago, working closely with the region’s football community is an essential part of that ambition.

I would like local clubs, coaches and parents to feel that they are part of this journey to professionalism. Most kids in the world start playing football for their school or the clubs in their area, and that is where young talents emerge. I always try to build good relationships with local clubs, making sure that the child is the most important part. The final product will be stronger football in the region.
Yago Aguilar Azón

That vision reflects a broader responsibility for NK Osijek: to be a club that recognises local potential, creates opportunities and contributes to the development of football throughout Slavonia and Baranja.

Building something that lasts

The appointment of Yago Aguilar Azón is another step towards a long-term ambition: an Academy capable of consistently identifying, developing and preparing players for professional football.

It is a project that requires patience, investment, expertise and a shared commitment across every level of the Club.

For NK Osijek, a successful Academy means more than producing footballers. It means building a sustainable sporting model, strengthening the connection between the first team and the community, and creating a football identity that future generations can recognise as their own.

As Albert Puig puts it:

The Academy must serve as the club’s sporting, financial and social backbone. Players coming up through the Academy demonstrate a stronger commitment to the club’s colours. My dream is for Osijek fans to view the Academy as their greatest treasure.
Albert Puig

For Yago, the ultimate measure of progress will be the opportunities created for young players and the strength of the system supporting them.

The most visible sign will be academy players in the first team. But I would be proud to see that the Academy has a strong system that can keep producing talent, a qualified coaching staff, and good relationships with families and local clubs.
Yago Aguilar Azón

The ambition is clear: to build an Academy where international expertise meets local talent, where every stage of development has a purpose, and where young footballers can see a genuine pathway from their first training session to the NK Osijek first team.

Because the future of NK Osijek is not only about the players who represent the Club today. It is also about those who are just beginning their journey.