“Should never be dropped”, “Pure box office” - Fans impressed by performance from 21-year-old star in Real Madrid win over Valladolid

Fans heap praise on Raul Asencio for his performance in Real Madrid's clash against Real Valladolid in the LaLiga. The clash ended in a 3-0 win for Los Blancos on January 25, at José Zorrilla Stadium.

Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring for Real Madrid with a right-footed shot from an assist by Jude Bellingham in the 30th minute. The Frenchman struck again in the 57th minute, doubling the score for the visitors after being set up by Rodrygo following a fast break. Raul Asencio was substituted by David Alaba in the 68th minute.

Los Blancos were awarded a penalty after Valladolid's Mario Martín committed a foul on Bellingham. Kylian Mbappé successfully converted the penalty in the first minute of added time.

During his time on the pitch, Raul Asencio made 39 touches and two clearances against Real Valladolid. The 21-year-old won 8 (4) ground duels and 1 (1) aerial duels while having one shot off target.

Fans took to social media and made posts hailing Raul Asencio's display in Real Madrid's 3-0 win against Real Valladolid in the LaLiga. Here are some of the reactions from X:

One fan wrote:

"Raul Asencio should never be dropped out of the starting lineup"

Another added:

"Asencio is pure box office. Beneath the brute force and raw power, he’s got the technical silk and steel to be a priceless asset on the ball. CBs like him are a dying breed — worth his weight in gold and the kind we’d be keen to get our hands on if he weren’t already ours."

"Look how well Asencio is playing at RB, you just have to give him an opportunity, man." chimed in another fan.

One account posted:

"You cannot convince me that Raúl Asencio is not the Sergio Ramos regen. What a player man"

Another tweeted:

"Asencio is the new Nacho"

"Asencio is going to be our Nacho. If we don't end up selling," posted another.

One user wrote:

"The way that Asencio has quickly figured out playing as a RB>>> He’s just a proper baller."

Another wrote:

"Don't know how this goes in the future and don't want to jinx it but Asencio has been so much better and solid than our 1st choice RB."

"Not exaggerating when i say give Asencio a lifetime contract man holy shit," added another.

With this win against Valladolid, Raul Asencio has now contributed to six clean sheets in 16 appearances across competitions for Real Madrid this season.

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Carlo Ancelotti on Kylian Mbappé following his hat-trick in Real Madrid's win against Valladolid in LaLiga

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti shared his thoughts on Kylian Mbappé's performance in their 3-0 win against Real Valladolid in the LaLiga. The French national team captain scored his first hat-trick for Los Blancos in the clash.

While speaking in the post-match press conference, Ancelotti addressed Mbappé's recent contributions to the squad and said (via Reuters):

"Mbappe is bringing a lot to the team, he's been getting into a rhythm for a couple of months and today, for the first time, he scored a hat-trick for us. Obviously that's a plus for our team, he's a player of great quality."

The Italian manager also spoke about his squad's gradual improvements in comparison to previous matches and added:

"Little by little we've got into a good rhythm, we've got into a good dynamic and that's great to see. As I have been saying, we are improving in the aspects that undermined us in previous games. And we must continue as we try to improve and correct some of the problems we still have."

Kylian Mbappé has registered 21 goals and three assists in 31 appearances across competitions for Real Madrid this season.