After four matches with the first team (Osasuna, Leganés, Liverpool and Getafe), the young Real Madrid center back Raúl Asencio he earned Ancelotti’s trust by demonstrating a confidence, integrity and stability that amazed everyone. “He has proven to be a reliable central defender. He has absolutely no lack of positional knowledge. He is very well positioned, confident and motivated. He has contributed a lot in these four games. If one day I have to make him sit on the bench I will think about it carefully… ” These were Ancelotti’s words when asked about the youngster’s immediate future. “Yes, he surprised me, especially the maturity he has, the calm he shows in managing game situations. He’s never worried, you never see him scared, he’s very confident. He has already passed the litmus test, he can be considered a player in our squad with full merit.”
Asencio is a player with admirers, as we saw last summer, when the City Group knocked on the merengue door. He offered six million euros to Real Madrid for his purchase, with the idea of taking him to Míchel’s Girona: the boy’s will, however, was the turning point. He had thought about starting the season at Castilla, although he had previously made the first team stop in the United States and already saw the possibility of fighting to make the leap. Until the opportunity came and he made the most of it.
His contract expires in 2026 (his release clause is 50 million) and his desire to establish himself as a first team player is great. The club has told those assisting him that they are happy with Asencio and that when the season ends they will sit down to study a deserved improvement and a contract extension.