Real Zafiro

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**Real Zafiro Club de Fútbol** (ロイヤルサファイア CF, *Roiyarusafaia CF*) also known as **Real Zafiro** is a professional football team competing in the Spanish football league.

Real Zafiro is one of the clubs that is part of the **"Big 4 of Spain"** alongside *Royal Madrid, FC Barcha and Atleti Madrilleno*. RZ is a team whose absolute priority is to control the match, and they achieve this through a tactical scheme that offers their players freedom of movement, and more time to enjoy their passion for being on the ball. To be part of this team, you need to be a passionate and loyal player, who, regardless of your position, is talented and elegant on the field, because like a good Spanish team, victory is not enough, you have to put on a show.

## History

Real Zafiro is a traditional Spanish club that during the 30's and 40's was one of the main winners of national competitions. In the following decades the club managed to win some championships, but saw its rivals FC Barcha and Royal Madrid completely dominate Spanish football at national and international level.

From the 2010s onwards, the club gradually restructured itself and implemented a philosophy of play in its youth teams, with a medium to long-term plan that did not involve investments as high as those of its rivals. It was time to rescue the football art that the club presented almost a century ago, in its moments of glory.

In the first half of 2019, with the Neo Egoist League taking place in Japan, the club made offers for some players who represented the Spanish Stratum, such as Ravi Martinez, an FC Barcha youth player, and Matsuyama Tenshi, a player who was part of the Blue Lock project.

## Crest

The Real Zafiro club crest follows the Spanish tradition by using a golden outline and the symbolism of the crown, referencing the royal history of Spain.

The shape is simple, resembling a traditional shield whose underside is sharper and has a dark, almost black color. Inside, we also have the traditional Spanish stripes, which alternate between dark and light blue, while the contours are in golden color. In the crown, there are sapphire stones, referencing the origin and name of the club.

Blue and black are the colours which have represented the club throughout its entire history. They were chosen to represent the players' loyalty, wisdom, creativity (blue) as well as class and elegance (black). They are also known as "Azures", "Blauneros" ou "Neriazules" due to this.

## Uniform

Real Zafiro's main uniform consists of a dark blue jersey with three blue vertical stripes with a bit lighten tone. The shorts are blue with three side dark blue stripes, and the player jersey number displayed on the back along with their name. The Real Zafiro crest is located at the top of the jersey near the collar.

## Abilities

### Vortex: The Appositional Game Style.

Real Zafiro's game philosophy is called Appositional Game, but it is better known as *VORTEX*. It is a style of play that starts from the idea of ​​always having many players close to the ball, no matter where it is, following the premise of generating a numerical superiority that allows a constant line of pass that involves the opponents until it reaches the goal, messing up and generating holes in the opposing defense to be exploited. Thus, players are always in possession of the ball, building plays with many passes and with freedom to reverse their positions. It is common to find the right sideback Ravi Martinez creating plays in the middle, while the winger Leozinho retreats along the wing to cover his position, for example.

**Alvarez (GK):** Starter Goalkeeper and captain of the team, Alvarez is the player with the longest time at the club. He is a very serious player, with excellent reflexes and who is very good with the ball at his feet. Assisting the team in the construction phase of plays, being a pass option in defense. Many of Real Zafiro's goals start with his participation with initial passes. He is 32 years old.

**Bastian Blaise (CB)**: Blaise is a player who is part of the French national team. He has a strong physique and hardly loses disputes in 1v1. He is a player who exudes confidence and despite his strength, he manages to give quality to the team with his passes. He is 30 years old.

**Nino (CB):** Nino is a Brazilian player who has gradually conquered his place in the national team. He is a calm and very skillful player, with dribbling skills and long passes. He is 25 years old and was signed last season.

**Ravi Martinez (RB):** Going into his third season at Real Zafiro, Ravi Martinez was signed from youth at FC Barcha during the Blue Lock Project Phase 2 period in Japan. Ravi is a versatile player with a lot of tactical intelligence and deep-lying playmaking skills. Because of Real Zafiro's Vortex style of play, he runs a lot of attacks through the center of the pitch. Ravi is only 21 years old and is one of the most valuable players in the squad.

**Iván Muñoz (RB):** Iván is a player with a long period at Real Zafiro and over the seasons he proved his versatility, having played in the starter team as a Right Back, Center Back and even Defensive Midfielder. After a sequence of minor injuries in the final stretch of last season, he started to appear on the bench, but remains a fundamental part of the squad. He is a player with a defensive focus and whose strength lies in the consistency of his performances. His weapon is his defensive prowess, a balanced player in all respects. He is 30 years old.

**Blanco (LB):** Blanco is one of the team's veterans. He is a very offensive wingback, who stands out for his speed, trapping and ball control, in addition to his accurate crosses. In terms of art football, he is one of the main attractions of the RZ. At the age of 28, he is one of the names of the Spanish national team.

**André Trindade (DM):** André is in his first season for the club, but it is a long-standing wish. He is considered one of the most promising Brazilians, and is already part of the Brazilian national team even at a young age. He is a complete player who stands out for his consistency, technique and ability to flow across the pitch. Some say his calmness and ability to play as if there is no pressure make him look like a player with 30 years of experience. André is 20 years old, and was one of the main signings for the season.

**Patri (CM):** Patri is a local player, who has been part of the club since he was 9 years old, in the children's categories. He is a fast player, with a lot of stamina, and possibly the one who moves the most and fills spaces on the field. It's like he's everywhere all the time! He is part of the Space-Time duo with Matsu. In addition to his tactical and movement importance, he is a player with great control of the ball and who always appears to score his goals. He has been a mainstay of the Spanish U-20 squad in recent years. And he is looking forward to being called up for the 2022 World Cup. In his second season as a professional, Patri is only 20 years old.

**Matsuyama Tenshi (AM):** The highlight for Real Zafiro's ball possession goes to the team's maestro, Matsuyama Tenshi! Who fulfills the role of Tempo Setter in the team, choosing in which direction the ball possession, and consequently the "Vortex", will happen. It is he who regulates not only the area of ​​the field to be explored, but also the speed of transition. Matsu is one of the players to come from the Blue Lock project, and is the creative midfielder personification of Real Zafiro's philosophy. A classic 10 with insane game vision, passing skills, dribbling, that makes the game look easy. Matsu charms everyone with his dribbles, as if he were calmly walking across the field, while his opponents are left behind. Another different feature is that Matsu is a very tall player by the standards of his position. Which gives him an advantage in aerial disputes in midfield and also in attack. The main brain of the team is only 20 years old, and is quoted to represent Japan in the 2022 World Cup.

**Leozinho (RW):** Leozinho is starting his fourth season with the club. The Brazilian number 10 plays as a winger and attacking midfielder, and exudes class with the ball at his feet. A fast, intelligent player, with great long-distance finishing and a vast repertoire of dribbling, he is a representative of the Brazilian Ginga style. Like Patri, he is one of the most moving players. One hour he's setting up the game in the middle, the other attacking on the right, the other pulling the counterattack on the right. It is a dancer on the field who plays with joy and daring. He is 26 years old and is a regular in the Brazilian national team.

**Kurosu (LW):** Newly signed from PXG France, Kurosu is yet another player who was part of Project Blue Lock. He is a true showman with his chaotic dribbling, curve effect and acrobatic powerful shots from medium and long distances. In his few months at the club, he is already affectionately called by the fans as "The top scorer of beautiful goals". He came as the team's main signing for this season. And renovation of the left wing, as the holder of recent seasons is close to retiring. Kurosu is only 20 years old, and in addition to having played for PXG and being part of the Blue Lock project, he even became a youth player for the French club in high school. He is also part of the Japanese national team, and will probably be in the 2022 cup.

**Torres (LW):** One of the greatest players in the history of Real Zafiro due to his dedication, important goals and identification with the fans, Torres was a skilled winger who stood out for his speed and finishing power. As the years went by, he adapted to an Unlocker role, fulfilling a more creative role that required less of his speed. Today he shares a position with Kurosu and Villar, and has already confirmed his retirement for the end of the 2022-23 season. He is currently 34 years old.

**Villar (ST):** Completing the hall of the greatest players in the club's history, Villar is a player marked by overcoming his football career, which was almost interrupted several times throughout his childhood. He is an extremely hardworking player and top scorer on the team with his precise finishing and perfect ambidexterity. He is a center forward who does not have such a robust physique, but he makes up for it with his technique, passing skills, and versatility to occupy offensive spaces, being equally capable of playing on the wings. Villar is 28 years old and is also an important member of the Spanish national team.

**Ramon Garcia (Manager):** Ramon Garcia is a football player who played as a winger, midfielder and striker for Real Zafiro. He was always a very technical player and leader on the field, with a lot of identification with the club where he was privileged to be throughout his career. After a few years of preparation to assume the position of manager, he rescued the art of beautiful football that was the hallmark of Real Zafiro in the early 30s. Thus, he developed his appositional style of play known as Vortex, which aims to ball, numerical superiority and courage to play the football that one fantasizes about when one is a child, with a lot of creativity to put on a show for the fans. He is 49 years old.

## List of Matches

* **Real Zafiro** vs FC Barcha: 4-2
* Real Zafiro vs **FC Barcha**: 2-3
* Real Zafiro vs **R. Madrid**: 0-2

## Trivia

* Like most Spanish teams, the club also has a gold frame that represents Spain, although it is not the official club colour.