Raul Asencio's Battle to Revive His Real Madrid Career
Raul Asencio’s fight to save his Real Madrid career is only just beginning.
The 23-year-old defender, once tipped as a long-term pillar at the back, now finds himself trying to rebuild trust at a club that has little patience for off‑field chaos. His determination is clear. The damage he must repair is even clearer.
Mourinho walks into a storm
When Real Madrid stunned European football in June by handing Jose Mourinho a three-year deal and bringing him back to the Bernabeu, the conversation was supposed to be about tactics, titles and a new era.
Instead, Mourinho has walked into a dressing room heavy with subplots.
The Vinicius Junior transfer saga dragged through the summer, with the Brazilian strongly linked to Arsenal before eventually signing his new contract. That alone would have been enough noise for any incoming coach.
But the most serious issue waiting for Mourinho involved Asencio.
Drink-driving scandal and swift punishment
On August 16, at around 6:30am in southern Gran Canaria, police stopped Asencio at a breathalyser checkpoint while he was driving a Porsche Macan GTS. The test did not go well for him.
He failed both the initial and secondary breath tests.
Figures published by Spanish outlet Atlantico Hoy stated readings of 0.90 and 0.88 milligrams of alcohol per litre of exhaled air – more than three times Spain’s legal limit of 0.25 mg/l.
The consequences came quickly. Asencio was summoned to a fast-track trial, where he received a €14,400 (£12,480) fine, calculated as €120 per day over four months. He was also handed an eight-month driving ban.
For a young player at Real Madrid, that kind of headline lingers. On its own, it would have been a serious stain. It was not the only issue.
Another legal case in the background
The drink-driving trial took place just one day before Asencio was due in court for a separate legal proceeding.
That case relates to him sharing a sexually explicit video allegedly recorded in 2023 by three of his former Real Madrid youth academy teammates. Asencio is accused of showing explicit images of two female complainants to another person on his mobile phone.
He has privately apologised to both women and paid them compensation. Reports state the women have forgiven him, but the incident has added another layer to a troubled recent past.
Madrid open disciplinary proceedings
Inside the club, patience has been tested.
According to Defensa Central, Asencio knows exactly how badly he has damaged his reputation and accepts the scale of his mistakes. He also believes he can still turn it around and wants to focus entirely on his football under Mourinho.
Before that can happen, Real Madrid have moved to open internal disciplinary proceedings over the drink-driving conviction. The club will assess the seriousness of the offence and decide on sanctions.
A financial penalty is on the table. So is another form of disciplinary action. Only once that process is complete can Asencio hope to be fully reintegrated into the first-team setup.
A fragile future under Mourinho
The road back will not be smooth.
Reports in Spain have suggested that Real Madrid even considered selling Asencio during the summer window, only for an injury to halt any realistic possibility of listening to offers. That alone shows how far his stock has fallen.
Knowing this, Asencio has reportedly sat down with Mourinho for a personal meeting. In that conversation, he is said to have promised to concentrate fully on his career, improve his football and leave his recent past behind him for good.
Now comes the hard part: convincing Mourinho, the club hierarchy and a demanding fanbase that this is not just another promise, but the start of a genuine redemption.
