Real Madrid wonderkid Marco Asensio, who ex-Spanish national team manager Vicente Del Bosque has described as the “biggest talent in Spain”, has disclosed details of a bid by Barcelona before his €3.9 million move from Mallorca to Real Madrid in 2014.
Barcelona was among a host of teams who wanted to take him on board but the youngster decided to move to Madrid.
In an interview with Spanish radio channel ‘Cadena Ser’ after his call-up to the national team earlier this week, Asensio has admitted that things could have been very different for him.
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On being asked which shirt he preferred, that of Spain or Real Madrid, Asensio said, “I like both, they’re the best. I had chances to go to Barcelona and other teams, but I came to Madrid. I couldn’t wear the Barcelona shirt now.”
The 20-year-old Asensio has grown by leaps and bounds since he joined Los Blancos as a teenager. He has successfully broken into the first team after impressing manager Zinedine Zidane during pre-season, after providing 12 La Liga assists last season for Espanyol.
He was behind only Ronaldo, Messi, Suarez, Neymar and Koke in the assists list. Having already scored once this season, Asensio has remarkably risen above the ranks of James Rodriguez and Isco in the Real Madrid starting line-up.
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Asensio also scored a long range wonder goal in Real Madrid's 3-2 victory over Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup before the start of the season – the first piece of silverware in which he had an active part to play in the club’s success.
However, he was keen to express that the team is still paramount. “I didn’t come here to take the places of Isco and James”, he said.
Marco said that he still needs to keep his feet on the ground. During the interview, he was positive about his career at Real Madrid and said, “I’m there to help and it is the coaches’ decision if he chooses me before others.”
“My aspiration is to be a starter, but there are important players who have spent many years at the club. I feel comfortable in the playmaker role, but I can play on the left, on the right, and even pivot. I want to win all the titles, be a reference for the team and for the fans and I want to live my story at Rea Madrid.”
