Real Madrid will watch today’s Club World Cup final from home after being eliminated in a forgettable match against PSG. It was a match that once again saw Raúl Asencio in the spotlight. The youth player was indispensable during the season with an outstanding run in the first team, where he was the only bright spot amid multiple injuries. However, that great season was not reflected in the tournament in the United States, where three blunders left him in the spotlight.
A World Cup to forget
Raúl Asencio had a great season, but in this Club World Cup he has made two very serious mistakes. He arrived in the first team as an urgent necessity due to multiple injuries in defense in November 2024. Months later, he ended the season as the undisputed starting center back, with a contract renewal in the works and touted as the future center back for the white team.
However, his dream turned into a nightmare in the Club World Cup, where he made two very serious and avoidable mistakes. Against Al Hilal, he committed an absurd penalty in the 41st minute, and Alonso left him in the locker room for the second half. Against Pachuca, the mistake was even worse, as he was sent off in the 7th minute for grabbing Salomón Rondón.
Two mistakes that left him out of the starting line-up, to which he would return in the semi-finals against PSG due to Dean Huijsen’s suspension, and once again he failed with another grotesque mistake, his third. These mistakes happen because he is a bundle of nerves with no confidence in his defensive work. Against PSG, his blunder in controlling the ball inside the area cost his team the 1-0 lead and broke the game in PSG’s favor. It was his third gross error in a tournament in which he started every game and is now leaving with a transfer tag.
Asencio apologizes
His poor performance has been evident and the player is well aware of the poor tournament he has had. Raúl Asencio has therefore decided to apologize to Madrid fans on social media: “Madridistas, a season has come to an end in which I have fulfilled my dream of being part of the best club in the world, but it has ended in the way I least wanted. I feel that I have not been up to the task in a Club World Cup that demanded the utmost.”
Goodbye to the starting lineup
What seems clear is that Xabi Alonso has lost confidence and has made a decision. Right now, the coach has five center backs in the squad: Dean Huijsen, Eder Militao, Asencio, Rüdiger, and Alaba. A few weeks ago, Huijsen and Asencio were being talked about as the starting center-back pairing, but now the Canary Islander has fallen down the pecking order and looks set to be a substitute behind several of his teammates. On the other hand, the poor performance against PSG has opened up the debate about the need to sign a new defender, with Konaté the favorite to arrive and become a starter.
In addition, Asencio still does not appear on the Madrid website as a member of the official first-team squad, as he has played the entire season with Real Madrid Castilla and, therefore, for legal purposes, he remains a player for Real Madrid’s reserve team. In fact, he does appear as a member of the second team squad, with the number 5 on his back.