Raúl Asencio believes Real Madrid can still reshape their season on the European stage, even as he faces a spell out after tibia surgery. The 23-year-old defender says the club’s supporters will judge the response on the pitch, while insisting that a sixteenth European Cup remains a realistic ambition under José Mourinho.
Asencio underwent an operation last week after a tibia problem that had been managed conservatively since January. The injury began roughly a year ago, but pain increased as the fracture worsened and eventually left surgery as the only option.
He said he had continued playing for as long as possible because he put the team ahead of his own discomfort. Now on crutches and receiving help from family members who travelled from Gran Canaria to Madrid, he is focused on returning fully fit.
Mourinho visited Asencio in hospital shortly after the procedure, a gesture the defender described as a major lift during an uncertain first phase of recovery. Asencio praised the coach as ambitious but also approachable, humorous and deeply involved with the squad away from public view.
“When you are injured, you start thinking about the recovery and how long you will be out,” Asencio said. “For him to come and show that closeness was very comforting.”
He added that Mourinho studies opponents extensively, but knows how much information to give players at each moment in order to increase or reduce the pressure around a match.
A defender formed for Madrid
Asencio spent five years in Las Palmas’ academy before joining Real Madrid at 14. Moving into the club residence while still a teenager, alongside fellow arrival Álvaro Carreras, forced him to become independent far earlier than he expected.
He said academy teammates became a second family, although life away from home meant learning to deal with illness and setbacks without the immediate support he had known in the Canary Islands. That process, he believes, prepared him for the expectation attached to Madrid’s shirt.
His first-team debut came under Carlo Ancelotti, whose trust remains especially important to him. Asencio recalled that the Italian told him he would stay with the senior group, and credited Madrid’s academy for allowing him to make his debut without fear, including the pass that set up Jude Bellingham against Osasuna at the Bernabéu.
This summer, Asencio took the number 2 shirt previously worn by Dani Carvajal. He contacted Carvajal before accepting it, joking that he hoped not to tarnish the number. For Asencio, Carvajal has long been an example to every academy player: a captain prepared to demand standards while helping young players settle among established stars.
He also pointed to Carvajal, Nacho and Lucas Vázquez as evidence of the influence Madrid graduates can have inside a dressing room. With Asencio, Carreras and Thiago Pitarch now the three academy products in the current squad, he hopes more can follow from a youth side that won every competition last season.
Pressure, regret and a route back
Madrid’s start to the campaign has left supporters dissatisfied, but Asencio urged patience and accepted that the club’s standards are unusually high. He said the squad must work harder and speak less, with results the only convincing way to bring the supporters back behind the team.
The defender is especially frustrated to be unavailable during that response. He acknowledged that some supporters may have been disappointed in him following events away from football, but promised to prove his commitment again when he returns.
Asencio also addressed the driving incident this summer that resulted in a substantial fine. He accepted responsibility, said Mourinho had been right to criticise him firmly, and pledged that such behaviour would not happen again.
“I made a mistake, I admitted it and I have apologised,” he said. “I have to understand where I am. I play for Real Madrid, and this cannot be repeated.”
He said several difficult situations had overlapped in a short period, including the conclusion of a judicial process involving former teammates. Asencio maintained that he had done nothing wrong and said hostile chants in certain stadiums did not distract him when he was playing. His family, however, found the abuse harder to bear.
Asencio said the Bernabéu crowd has continued to show him warmth and support, and that he intends to repay that backing by making the club proud again. Away from matches, he also spoke about his support for associations helping seriously ill children, including Elías, a bone-marrow transplant recipient whom he invited to the Bernabéu.
“We are fortunate that a small gesture can make people happy,” he said. “I am a footballer, but I am also a person.”
European belief remains intact
For all the uncertainty around Madrid’s form, Asencio sees no reason to limit the club’s Champions League ambitions. Asked whether Madrid could lift a sixteenth European Cup at the Metropolitano, he answered that nothing is beyond a club with their history.
“For Real Madrid, nothing is impossible,” he said. “With Mourinho, we have a strong chance to show that we are again Europe’s best team.”
He backed Kylian Mbappé for the Ballon d’Or, calling the forward the finest player among the nominees and the most complete scorer. He also defended Vinícius Júnior amid questions over his recent level, arguing that the Brazilian’s quality remains clear to those who see him in training every day.
“Vinícius is Vinícius,” Asencio said. “Players are not robots; we are people. He may not be at the level of two years ago right now, but he will return.”
Asencio’s own international experience with Spain ended without a debut, but he advised Carlos Espí to enjoy his first call-up and predicted further opportunities for the young forward if he maintains his form.
On the Negreira matter, Asencio offered only a brief comment, saying that the issue remains a shadow over Spanish football and declining to expand further. For now, his immediate contest is recovery: a long route back to the Madrid side, and potentially to another decisive European spring.
