Croatian football striker Ante Budimir broke several records in Osasuna, and the Spanish first division team is grateful to him for coming to work with the youth.
Four years ago, the club from the city of Pamplona introduced training sessions attended by players from the first team in its football school.
This way of training makes us greatOsasuna academy director Francisco Punal Martinez tells Hina.
Former midfielder Fillerwith 420 appearances, the club’s record holder for the number of games played, follows the training and development of players between the ages of 9 and 22 every day. He himself started playing football there, so he concluded that it would be good for young men who dream of joining the first team to join those who are already there.
He discussed this idea with other clubs, where the officials told him that it was “difficult to do”.
The first team players are generally far away from the youngsters, and here it is exactly the oppositenotes 50-year-old “Patxi”.
“Boys and young men are delighted with Budimir”
An example is Budimir. He was called to youth training three or four times during the season, but it is the 34-year-old goalscorer who asks when he can come.
We don’t have to ask him to come because he is the one who wants to participate. Boys and young men are delightedexplains Punal.
Their elation is not surprising given that the player with number 17 is Osasuna’s biggest star.
With 17 goals scored in the calendar year 2025, he was among the top ten scorers in the league of five. He is the player with the most goals scored for Osasuna in the first division, and on Saturday in the match with Athletic Bilbao he will become the foreigner with the most appearances in the club’s 105-year history.
On Tuesdays, in his spare time, Budimir and his attacking teammate Ruben Garcia come to the Tajonar training camp.
The youth players are then in the classroom. There, the coach explains to them what they will practice. In order to make it completely clear to them, he plays video clips from Osasuna’s first team matches, and sometimes from other top clubs, where the action can be seen exactly. Then they go out on the lawn and practice those moves with Budimir.
“Be” observes actionsparticipates in them and tells them what to do and when to do itsays Punal.
The Croatian bronze medalist from the last World Championship teaches them how to attack, ‘feints’ and kicks.
It teaches them how to interpret momentsnotes the school director.
“Presence sometimes means more than advice”
When, for example, the player throwing the ball raises his head, before sending a shot, Budimir tells the young attackers to make a trick, a fake move with the body to deceive the opponent. And when the player lowers his head to pass the ball, the attacker must make the right move to be in a position to receive the ball and shoot at the goal.
“Be” insists on timely entry into the space. Those moments are crucial in order to get a chance to score a goalexplains Punal.
Budimir, who also played in Croatia, Italy and Germany, believes that Osasuna designed this type of training well because sometimes presence can mean more than advice. This is also confirmed by Puñal.
When their coaches they say something they correct mistakes. When I tell them that, they understand even more. But when Budi or Ruben tell them that, they experience it even more stronglyhe explains.
Puñal points out that “the advice that comes out of Budi’s mouth is extremely important”. – Young people absorb his experience, he emphasizes.
The club believes that the centre-forward is also a good example for young people when it comes to behavior on and off the field. Budimir also encourages them to be ambitious and strive to play in the first league.
Budimir tells them “you have to get into the first team. And when you enter it, you have to face me because I will not give up your place in the team. That’s my place in the attack and I won’t give it up. You must therefore be motivated to occupy it with a good gamesaid the director of Osasuna’s academy.
(Hina | Photo: Osasuna)
