Called up for the first time with La Roja during the Nations League quarterfinals, the young Madrid player ultimately didn’t play a single minute.
This Sunday, Spain qualified for the Nations League Final Four by eliminating the Netherlands on penalties. They will face the French team of Mbappé, Tchouaméni, and Camavinga in June in the semifinals. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, all three French players should be part of this latest encounter, a less certainty for Raúl Asencio, the only Real Madrid player present with La Roja in the quarterfinals.
It only took 29 professional matches for the Las Palmas native to win over Luis de la Fuente. Aided by the injury absences of Laporte, Vivian, and Iñigo Martínez, Asencio was able to experience the atmosphere of the national team, but without playing a single minute.
Set aside
For the quarter-final first leg (2-2) in Amsterdam, the Spanish coach simply dispensed with the services of the Madrid player; not listed on the team sheet, he watched the match from the stands. The Norman and Cubarsí started, before the prodigy Huijsen replaced the Catalan just before halftime, who had come off injured. For the return leg, de la Fuente retained the Norman and Huijsen central defense that had impressed three days earlier, and added Raúl Asencio to the team sheet.
Unfortunately for him, the Spanish side were banking on a rather different and more favorable scenario, allowing them to rotate their squad. This was without taking into account the Dutch’s determination, who, after each goal conceded, scored one behind (final score 3-3). Luis de la Fuente preferred to bring on five midfielders and forwards (and an attacking full-back) in an attempt to score one more goal than their opponents.
After more than 210 minutes of watching his teammates on the pitch and without having the opportunity to set foot on it, the Madrid player was praised by his coach. Defensa Central reports that Luis de la Fuente spoke with the player after the second match and said a few words: “You’re a magnificent player and a great person. I’m sorry you didn’t start, but you’ll have other opportunities, I’m sure of it.”
A record nonetheless
Even though he didn’t earn his first cap, Asencio has made history in a way. According to Relevo, his only experience with La Roja so far was two U19 training sessions in 2022, nothing more. What followed was a long period of national drought, where he played for Castilla without ever attracting attention. He thus achieved the feat of being called up to the senior team without having been selected once for the youth teams.
Before him, only Bryan Zaragoza had achieved the same effect in 2023 when he played for Granada. Dean Huijsen also experienced La Roja for the first time in the senior team without having played for the youth teams, but his journey remains different because, without a Spanish passport, he played for the Netherlands in the lower divisions.
There’s still a long way to go
Undoubtedly on cloud nine when he received the news of his call-up, Raúl Asencio will now have to refocus on Real Madrid and the upcoming matches if he wants to have the opportunity to be recalled. A Copa del Rey semi-final second leg and a Champions League quarter-final double-header are approaching, all in just three weeks, especially since, according to the latest news, the injury room is unlikely to be empty. Valverde felt uncomfortable with Uruguay when Courtois and Alaba did not participate in their national team’s second match of the international break…
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