JINAN, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Real Madrid's youth team will compete in the 13th Luneng Weifang Cup International Youth Football Tournament from July 28 to August 3 in the eastern Chinese city of Weifang, organizers announced here on Tuesday.
This year's tournament for under-18s will for the first time feature teams from England and France, with Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers and French Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice among the 12 teams competing in the event.
"This year's tournament features young players under 18," said Liu Baoyu, vice president of Shandong Luneng Taishan Football School. "Overseas clubs taking part include the youth teams of Real Madrid, Sporting Lisbon, Boca Juniors, Wolverhampton Wanderers, OGC Nice, Desportivo Brasil, Santos Laguna and Kashima Antlers."
Liu added, "In addition to China's under-19 national team, youth teams from Shandong Luneng, Shanghai Shenhua and Hebei China Fortune will also take part in the event."
First run in 2006 and now in its 13th year, the Weifang Cup is China's signature annual youth football tournament for international clubs. As a cradle for future football stars, the event has seen the participation of over 2,300 players representing 105 clubs from 25 countries, including Germany, Brazil, Argentina and Spain.
