While each one, with cleats and kit in their luggage, brought dreams of one day playing for their favorite team, they go home with not only improvements to their technical soccer skills and values but also knowledge of how to properly fuel those dreams with the best nutrition.

The clinic — the first of its kind to take place at the Real Madrid City welcoming children from the U.S. since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold — coincided with World Children's Day celebrations supporting the goals and aspirations of kids everywhere.

As Real Madrid's partner for Health Sciences and Nutrition and global partner of the Real Madrid Foundation, Abbott and our Center for Malnutrition Solutions were excited to help educate the players about the importance of good nutrition in fueling their body to optimize performance, endurance and hydration.

"Children are our greatest asset for the future," said Hakim Bouzamondo, MD, division vice president of global research and development for Abbott's nutrition business, who participated in the nutrition workshop as part of the 5-day clinic. "Ensuring they have possibilities in life starts with good health and nutrition early on and throughout their development years. We want kids around the world to know how important good nutrition is for keeping them healthy and helping them achieve their big goals."

Goals like reaching the heights of the world’s soccer stage. But that kind of goal can't be reached without a strong foundation built on teamwork, values and community.

"In addition to improving technical skills of the children for soccer, we want to share with them values which are fundamental for Real Madrid, such as fair play, respect and teamwork, as well as the importance of continued effort and desire to improve, which are important on and off the pitch," said Emilio Butragueño, Director of Institutional Relations of Real Madrid.

The Real Madrid Foundation also operates Social Sports Schools in countries around the world, supporting at-risk children with after-school programs and health education that includes nutrition awareness and of course, sports training. 

On Saturday, we invited children from the school in Cordoba to visit our nutrition research and development facility in Granada, Spain, to participate in a daylong field trip in which they toured R&D labs, participated in hands-on science activities and learned about the importance of nutrition for good health.

Every journey begins with a first step. On the occasion of World Children's Day, we took the first in our commitment to work with Real Madrid and its foundation to help end malnutrition through education and sports so children around the world reach their goals. 

Because we know that a brighter, sustainable future starts with good health.

And with the right fuel — with the right nutrition — kids can go anywhere they dream. 

Even Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.