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.
Feedback
