Real Madrid sign players at a younger age compared to other clubs in the top-five leagues of Europe.

While Real Madrid became famous for their Galacticos transfer policy under Florentino Perez, a study shows their squad members were recruited at a younger age than those at any other top division club in Spain, England, Germany, France or Italy.

Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund of the Bundesliga were next on the list with Tottenham Hotspur ranking fifth.

Selected other clubs included Arsenal (12th), Barcelona (16th), Chelsea (24th), Bayern Munich (45th), Atletico Madrid (65th) and Manchester City (71st).

"Real Madrid squad members were on average recruited at the age of 22.5 years," the study found. "This is the lowest figure at big-five league level. German and English teams are over-represented in the top positions of the rankings.

"The best clubs focus their recruitment on younger players than less competitive teams. In the top five positions of clubs whose transfer policy is the most centered on young footballers are four Champions League participating teams: Real Madrid, Leverkusen, Dortmund and Tottenham.

"Conversely, no German club is among the 10 big-five league teams whose recruitment strategy focuses on the most seasoned [oldest] players. Italian side Cagliari is at the bottom of the table."

Current squad members to join Madrid before their 22nd birthday include Marcelo (18), Raphael Varane (18), Casemiro (20), Sergio Ramos (19), Karim Benzema (21), Mateo Kovacic (21) and Isco (21).

Expensive established stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez also all arrived at the Bernabeu in their mid-20s.

Zinedine Zidane admitted he will increase Alvaro Morata's minutes as he continues to impress in his return to Real Madrid.

Morata scored a match-winner for Real Madrid as a substitute for Karim Benzema, who also scored but was largely ineffective.

“He’s going to get more minutes,” Zidane said post match. “He didn’t today, but he will. What we have to do is work together, and he will get more minutes. [Morata and Vazquez] are convincing me."

Real Madrid exercised their buyback option for Morata from Juventus.

Pep Guardiola credits Johan Cruyff for his current standing as one of the world's best managers.

“He was unique, totally unique,” said Guardiola. “Without him I wouldn’t be here. I know for sure this is why I am, right now, the manager of Manchester City and before that Bayern Munich and Barcelona.”

Guardiola played for Cruyff at Barcelona.

“Before he came we didn’t have a cathedral of football, this beautiful church, at Barcelona. We needed something new. And now it is something that has lasted. It was built by one man, by Johan Cruyff, stone by stone. That’s why he was special.

“I would not be able to do what he did. You hear all these people saying: ‘Oh Pep, what a good manager he is.’ Forget about it. Cruyff was the best, by far. Creating something new is the difficult part. To make it and build it and get everyone to follow? Amazing. That’s why, when I was Barcelona manager, I went to see Johan many times. I made especially sure I went a lot in my first year when we won everything, absolutely everything.”

Guardiola became manager of Barcelona at the age of 37.

“I always went that season to see Johan to try to make him feel how grateful I was to him. Of course I wanted to talk to him about new ideas, but the main feeling I always had when I said goodbye was that he might feel how pleased I am and see how deep my gratitude goes.”

On the cover of Cruyff's newly released autobiography, Guardiola is quoted as saying: “I knew nothing about football before knowing Cruyff.”

Guardiola is asked about the quote.

“I thought I knew about football but when I started to work with him a new world appeared in front of me. Not just me – but a whole generation of players. Johan helped us understand the game. Football is the most difficult game in the world because it is open and every situation is completely different and you have to make decisions minute by minute. But I was a lucky guy. I am sitting here now because I met him. If not for him it would not have been possible.”

Guardiola considers Cruyff the most influential figure in soccer history.

“He was the most influential person in football history. He changed not one club. He changed two clubs – as a player and a coach. It’s impossible to find another guy like this. OK, he did it at Ajax and they won the European Cup when Michels was there – but the player was Johan. After that he was a coach there and then he came to Barcelona. It was a big club but it didn’t have a specific football culture. We had one Argentina coach who played an Argentinian style, then came a German coach who played a German style. But then Johan arrived and he said: ‘Guys, now we play this way.’"