# Raúl Asencio (footballer, born 2003)
**Raúl Asencio del Rosario** (born 2003) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a center back for Real Madrid of La Liga. A product of the [UD Las Palmas](https://www.edgepedia.org/ud-las-palmas) academy who joined Real Madrid's youth system in 2017, he was promoted to the first team in November 2024 during an injury crisis, established himself as a regular center back, and was called up to the Spain national team in March 2025.[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/futbol/primer-equipo-masculino/plantilla/raul-asencio-del-rosario/) • [2](https://www.udlaspalmas.net/2017/05/24/el-real-madrid-vuelve-a-birlar-talento-en-la-ud/) • [3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRpWXzgB4g4)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Raúl Asencio del Rosario, born 2003 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/futbol/primer-equipo-masculino/plantilla/raul-asencio-del-rosario/) |
| Position | Defender (center back); 1.84 m, 85 kg[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/futbol/primer-equipo-masculino/plantilla/raul-asencio-del-rosario/) |
| Real Madrid debut | 9 November 2024, Real Madrid 4-0 Osasuna[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/futbol/primer-equipo-masculino/plantilla/raul-asencio-del-rosario/) |
| 2024-25 Champions League | 10 appearances, 749 minutes[4](https://fbref.com/en/squads/53a2f082/2024-2025/c8/Real-Madrid-Stats-Champions-League) |
| 2025-26 La Liga | 23 appearances, 1,706 minutes[5](https://tactix.football/player/raul-asencio) |
| Honors | One Mundial de Clubes (FIFA Club World Cup) with Real Madrid[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/futbol/primer-equipo-masculino/plantilla/raul-asencio-del-rosario/) |
| International | Called up to the Spain national team in March 2025[3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRpWXzgB4g4) |
## Youth career
Asencio began at the Madrid club Veteranos del Pilar in 2011-12 and moved to the youth ranks of UD Las Palmas in 2012, where he played until 2017.[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/futbol/primer-equipo-masculino/plantilla/raul-asencio-del-rosario/) In May 2017, Real Madrid signed the 14-year-old from [Las Palmas](https://www.edgepedia.org/las-palmas)'s Infantil A side on a contract for the next seven seasons, taking advantage of a federation rule that left the player free at the end of June before the cadete stage.[2](https://www.udlaspalmas.net/2017/05/24/el-real-madrid-vuelve-a-birlar-talento-en-la-ud/) The Las Palmas-based press described him at the time as a young center back with leadership qualities.[2](https://www.udlaspalmas.net/2017/05/24/el-real-madrid-vuelve-a-birlar-talento-en-la-ud/)
He progressed through Real Madrid's youth categories from Cadete B (2017-18) through Cadete A, Juvenil C, Juvenil B, and Juvenil A (2021-22), then spent 2022-23 with RSC Internacional FC and 2023-2025 with [Real Madrid Castilla](https://www.edgepedia.org/real-madrid-castilla), the club's reserve team.[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/futbol/primer-equipo-masculino/plantilla/raul-asencio-del-rosario/) At Castilla he was coached by Raúl González, the former Real Madrid forward, who rated him highly and passed favorable reports to first-team manager [Carlo Ancelotti](https://www.edgepedia.org/carlo-ancelotti).[6](https://elpais.com/deportes/futbol/2025-03-12/la-revalida-del-callado-e-impulsivo-raul-asencio.html)
## Real Madrid first team
**Promotion during an injury crisis.** Asencio was promoted to the first team in November 2024 after long-term injuries to defenders [Dani Carvajal](https://www.edgepedia.org/dani-carvajal), Éder Militão, and [David Alaba](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-alaba) left the club short of center backs.[7](https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/pdf/20241128_1732747349-779.pdf) He debuted on 9 November 2024 in a 4-0 league win over Osasuna and provided an assist for [Jude Bellingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/jude-bellingham) on his debut.[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/futbol/primer-equipo-masculino/plantilla/raul-asencio-del-rosario/) • [6](https://elpais.com/deportes/futbol/2025-03-12/la-revalida-del-callado-e-impulsivo-raul-asencio.html) As recently as that November he had been playing for Castilla against Atlético B in Spain's third division in front of fewer than 2,500 spectators.[8](https://cdn.shaunsocial.com/rakan83/files/message_item/2025/02/10/4417e520-a96c-4b29-91e2-5c6739299dc4.pdf)
His Champions League debut came at Anfield against Liverpool on 27 November 2024, a 2-0 defeat in which he made a goal-line clearance four minutes into the match.[8](https://cdn.shaunsocial.com/rakan83/files/message_item/2025/02/10/4417e520-a96c-4b29-91e2-5c6739299dc4.pdf) In that game he completed all 24 of his passes and both of his tackles without being dribbled past.[9](https://as.com/futbol/champions/asencio-contra-goliath-n/) He finished the 2024-25 Champions League campaign with 10 appearances and 749 minutes, including the full 120 minutes of the penalty-shootout win over [Atlético Madrid](https://www.edgepedia.org/atletico-madrid) in the Round of 16 second leg.[4](https://fbref.com/en/squads/53a2f082/2024-2025/c8/Real-Madrid-Stats-Champions-League) • [10](https://fbref.com/en/players/4731cd4c/matchlogs/2024-2025/c8/Raul-Asencio-Match-Logs)
By February 2025, despite not debuting until November, he ranked 12th among Real Madrid players in minutes played for the season, with 1,952 minutes.[11](https://as.com/futbol/seleccion/milagro-asencio-n/) Ancelotti praised his "maturity, calmness and focus", and the Bernabéu crowd chanted his surname after a Madrid derby performance.[8](https://cdn.shaunsocial.com/rakan83/files/message_item/2025/02/10/4417e520-a96c-4b29-91e2-5c6739299dc4.pdf) His form earned a call-up to the Spain national team in March 2025, which he described as "a dream".[3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRpWXzgB4g4)
**Setbacks in 2025-26.** His first Club World Cup campaign ended badly: in the July 2025 semifinal, mistakes by Asencio and [Antonio Rüdiger](https://www.edgepedia.org/antonio-rudiger) contributed to goals by [Fabián Ruiz](https://www.edgepedia.org/fabian-ruiz) and [Ousmane Dembélé](https://www.edgepedia.org/ousmane-dembele) as Paris Saint-Germain won 4-0.[12](https://apnews.com/article/74b413ac70e98c0d6d4b5ee5f58f7ce2) Under new coach Xabi Alonso he fell behind Dean Huijsen in the pecking order, though he still made 23 La Liga appearances (1,706 minutes) in 2025-26.[5](https://tactix.football/player/raul-asencio) He scored his first Real Madrid goal in a 5-1 win over Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabéu in January 2026, in a match that also featured a hat-trick from Gonzalo García.[13](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/01/07/la-bonita-historia-detras-del-gol-de-asencio-un-dia-inolvidable-que-quedara-marcado-para-siempre-el-nino-me-dice-papa-soy-famoso-cadena-ser/) In July 2026 he underwent surgery for a stress fracture in his right leg that had been affecting him for several months, and on 30 July 2026 the club diagnosed a muscle injury in the rectus femoris of the same leg.[14](https://as.com/futbol/primera/mourinho-corta-la-sangria-f202610-n/) • [15](https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/noticias/futbol/primer-equipo/partes-medicos/parte-medico-de-asencio-30-07-2026) In October 2026 he changed his shirt number to 2.[16](https://as.com/futbol/primera/el-baile-de-los-dorsales-f202610-n/)
## Playing style
Asencio is a right-footed center back used as a ball-playing defender; at Castilla, Raúl regularly relied on him to start attacks with vertical passes.[17](https://www.90min.com/features/things-to-know-real-madrid-academy-defenders-break-first-team/) A La Liga under-23 data analysis for 2024-25 recorded a 93.7% pass completion rate alongside 4,842 progressive passing yards, placing him among the defenders who combine safe distribution with forward contribution.[18](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/data-analysis/la-liga-u23-data-analysis-2024-2025)
His defensive game is built on speed, aggression, and body use, traits his former Juvenil B coach Javier Vázquez said were already visible in youth football.[6](https://elpais.com/deportes/futbol/2025-03-12/la-revalida-del-callado-e-impulsivo-raul-asencio.html) In his first months in [La Liga](https://www.edgepedia.org/la-liga) he led all Real Madrid players in clearances with 46 and ranked second in aerial duels won with 17, behind [Aurélien Tchouaméni](https://www.edgepedia.org/aurelien-tchouameni)'s 25, according to Opta data cited by [El País](https://www.edgepedia.org/el-pais).[6](https://elpais.com/deportes/futbol/2025-03-12/la-revalida-del-callado-e-impulsivo-raul-asencio.html) Ancelotti has worked with him to temper his impulsiveness in the box, warning that aggression in the area can concede penalties, as happened against Celta in the Copa del Rey.[6](https://elpais.com/deportes/futbol/2025-03-12/la-revalida-del-callado-e-impulsivo-raul-asencio.html) A Bernabéu Digital assessment similarly judged that his way of defending impresses more than its actual effectiveness, while still crediting him with the qualities for a long career at the club if he adds consistency.[19](https://www.bernabeudigital.com/opinion/asencio-caracter-liderazgo-personalidad-y-algun-error-337255)
## Legal case
In September 2023, Asencio and three other players from Real Madrid Castilla and Real Madrid C, Ferran Ruiz, Juan Rodríguez, and [Andrés García](https://www.edgepedia.org/andres-garcia), were detained over accusations that two of the players had recorded and distributed a sexual video involving an adult woman and a minor who had not consented to being recorded.[20](https://titula.universidadeuropea.com/bitstream/handle/20.500.12880/14857/grupo11_127315_27494600_TFM.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1) The Audiencia de Las Palmas rejected an appeal by his defense in early 2025, and the case made him a target of opposition fans; a match at Anoeta was interrupted by insults, and Ancelotti substituted him at halftime partly because he was affected.[6](https://elpais.com/deportes/futbol/2025-03-12/la-revalida-del-callado-e-impulsivo-raul-asencio.html)
On 3 September 2026, Asencio was acquitted after a trial before the criminal court in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria concerning the video recorded in 2023 in Gran Canaria. The three former Real Madrid youth players accepted one-year prison sentences for child pornography. Asencio broke his silence after the verdict, saying he was "deeply sorry for what happened" and had "learned from this experience".[21](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/09/03/raul-asencio-rompe-su-silencio-estoy-profundamente-arrepentido-de-lo-ocurrido-he-aprendido-de-esta-experiencia-cadena-ser/)
## Honors
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2025 (with Real Madrid)[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/futbol/primer-equipo-masculino/plantilla/raul-asencio-del-rosario/)
## References
1. [Asencio, Web Oficial, Real Madrid C.F.](https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/futbol/primer-equipo-masculino/plantilla/raul-asencio-del-rosario/)
2. [El Real Madrid vuelve a birlar talento a la UD, udlaspalmas.NET (24 May 2017)](https://www.udlaspalmas.net/2017/05/24/el-real-madrid-vuelve-a-birlar-talento-en-la-ud/)
3. [Raúl Asencio celebrates his Spain national team call-up at Valdebebas, Real Madrid (YouTube, 14 March 2025)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRpWXzgB4g4)
4. [2024-2025 Real Madrid Stats, Champions League, FBref.com](https://fbref.com/en/squads/53a2f082/2024-2025/c8/Real-Madrid-Stats-Champions-League)
5. [Raúl Asencio, TACTIX Impact, stats & form](https://tactix.football/player/raul-asencio)
6. [La reválida para el callado e impulsivo Raúl Asencio, El País (12 March 2025)](https://elpais.com/deportes/futbol/2025-03-12/la-revalida-del-callado-e-impulsivo-raul-asencio.html)
7. [The Peninsula, 28 November 2024](https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/pdf/20241128_1732747349-779.pdf)
8. [The Game, European football (10 February 2025)](https://cdn.shaunsocial.com/rakan83/files/message_item/2025/02/10/4417e520-a96c-4b29-91e2-5c6739299dc4.pdf)
9. [Asencio contra Goliath, AS.com (11 February 2025)](https://as.com/futbol/champions/asencio-contra-goliath-n/)
10. [Raúl Asencio 2024-2025 Champions League Match Logs, FBref.com](https://fbref.com/en/players/4731cd4c/matchlogs/2024-2025/c8/Raul-Asencio-Match-Logs)
11. [Milagro Asencio, AS.com](https://as.com/futbol/seleccion/milagro-asencio-n/)
12. [Fabián Ruiz scores 2 goals and PSG routs Real Madrid 4-0 to reach Club World Cup final, AP News (9 July 2025)](https://apnews.com/article/74b413ac70e98c0d6d4b5ee5f58f7ce2)
13. [La bonita historia detrás del gol de Asencio, Cadena SER (7 January 2026)](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/01/07/la-bonita-historia-detras-del-gol-de-asencio-un-dia-inolvidable-que-quedara-marcado-para-siempre-el-nino-me-dice-papa-soy-famoso-cadena-ser/)
14. [Mourinho corta la sangría, AS.com](https://as.com/futbol/primera/mourinho-corta-la-sangria-f202610-n/)
15. [Parte médico de Asencio, Real Madrid C.F. (30 July 2026)](https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/noticias/futbol/primer-equipo/partes-medicos/parte-medico-de-asencio-30-07-2026)
16. [El baile de los dorsales, AS.com](https://as.com/futbol/primera/el-baile-de-los-dorsales-f202610-n/)
17. [Things to know about the Real Madrid academy defenders set to break into the first team, 90min](https://www.90min.com/features/things-to-know-real-madrid-academy-defenders-break-first-team/)
18. [La Liga U23 Scout Report 2024/2025, Total Football Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/data-analysis/la-liga-u23-data-analysis-2024-2025)
19. [Asencio: carácter, liderazgo, personalidad... y algún error, Bernabéu Digital](https://www.bernabeudigital.com/opinion/asencio-caracter-liderazgo-personalidad-y-algun-error-337255)
20. [TFM, Universidad Europea (thesis on Raúl Asencio)](https://titula.universidadeuropea.com/bitstream/handle/20.500.12880/14857/grupo11_127315_27494600_TFM.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1)
21. [Raúl Asencio rompe su silencio, Cadena SER (3 September 2026)](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/09/03/raul-asencio-rompe-su-silencio-estoy-profundamente-arrepentido-de-lo-ocurrido-he-aprendido-de-esta-experiencia-cadena-ser/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of continental Europe › Spanish footballers born 1995 onward › Goalkeepers and defenders*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license