Marco Asensio was scouted by Real Madrid before he even made his debut for his local team Mallorca B in the Tercera Division in 2013-14. Clearly, this kid was turning heads before he played a full game. Madrid managed to nab the youngster from Mallorca in December 2014 and left him there on loan. The following year, he trained with Real Madrid during pre-season but was again sent on loan, to Espanyol this time.
The young Spaniard clearly did things right because when BBC – Karim Benzema , Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo weren’t around to pick up the slack during their UEFA Super Cup final, he got picked for the starting XI. He made the most of his chance and not only did he score, he made it one to remember. Now, up until that moment, no one except maybe a die hard Los Blancos fan knew who the kid was.
As soon as that ball flew into the net, the world discovered Marco Asensio. The 20-year-old was unveiled for the first time at the Santiago Bernabeu last Tuesday before making his home debut against the French side Stade de Reims.
Wonderkid Marco Asensio is new to the world at large, so here’s a look at five things you should know about him:
5) Interest from Barcelona
While Real Madrid was scouting Asensio in 2014, Barcelona was doing the exact same thing. Apparently, the young midfielder was hot property a couple of years back. Barcelona offered Mallorca €1.5 million for him but was outbid by a more determined Real Madrid. Asensio signed with them for €3.9 million on a six-year contract.
Ironically, Asensio grew up a fan of the Catalan giants. Barcelona had all but sealed the deal with Mallorca when talks broke down over the method of payment for the young player. While Mallorca wanted the entire amount up front, the Catalan club wanted the sum to be divided into variables. Madrid took advantage of these complications and signed him instead. Barcelona ended up signing Douglas.
4) Influence – his mother and Marco van Basten
It isn’t sheer coincidence that Asensio and Marco van Basten share the same first name. Asensio was born to a Dutch mother and Spanish father on the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain. His Dutch mother was an ardent football fan and liked Van Basten in particular.
She, as is evident by now, named him after the great Milan player and simultaneously provided him with a great role model to look up to. She succumbed to cancer and died in 2011 when Asensio was just 15. Since then he dedicates all his goals to the memory of his mother.
At his unveiling at the Santiago Bernabeu this past week, President Florentino Perez recalled how he had met the midfielder’s parents 12 years ago and they had said he would play for the club one day.
3) Could have played for the Netherlands
20-year-old Asensio may have been born in Palmas, Spain but because of his Dutch heritage (his mother was Dutch) was eligible to play for The Netherlands. Oranje fans started an online campaign on Twitter with the hashtag #AsensioWillemseninOranje after their humiliating performance during the Euro 2016 qualification rounds. Fans realised they needed fresh talent and they were impressed enough by Asensio to want him to play for the national side.
At that time, he had not yet been named in the senior Spanish team and in spite of playing for the Spanish U-19 side, was eligible to play for Netherlands. However, officials from the Dutch football association never contacted him and has since been hailed as one of the best things to happen to Spanish football in quite some time.
2) Impressive form
The hype around Asensio has been on the rise since he appeared for Mallorca. After he served out his loan with them, he was sent to Espanyol for another loan spell. During the 2015-16 campaign, the only players who had more assists than the Spanish starlet were the likes of Lionel Messi, Koke, Luis Suarez, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo.
After the first few games of last season, the midfielder became a regular in the Catalan side making 34 appearances in the league. He scored a total of four goals and made 13 assists. All the excitement around him was finally justified. After all, Espanyol Manger Sergio Gonzalez had described him as ‘magic’ before he’d even kicked a ball at the club.
1) Performances for Spain
Asensio has played for Spain at all junior levels including the U-19 and U-21 teams. He was a part of the squad that won the U-19 European Championship in 2015 and was named Golden Player of the tournament. He played in all eight of Spain’s matches and scored five goals for his country.
He scored two goals in their semi-final match against France and his assist, a thing of beauty, against Russia helped them lift the trophy.
Asensio is currently a part of the Spanish U-21 side playing in the qualification round for the U-21 European Championship in 2017. He already has a tally of two goals in five games and he made his debut for the senior Spanish side in a friendly against Bosnia ahead of Euro 2016.
