Raúl Asencio says José Mourinho’s visit after his surgery gave him “an injection of energy” at a difficult point in his recovery. The Real Madrid defender is 23 and has been dealing with a tibia fissure since January, and he recently underwent a tibia operation that has left him on crutches with mobility problems until he recovers.
Mourinho’s visit and Asencio’s reset
Speaking to A Bola, Asencio said the visit mattered because it came in the middle of the doubts that follow surgery. “That visit gave me an injection of energy. In those moments of doubt, when you are thinking about how the recovery will go and how long you will be out without playing, the fact that Mourinho came to see me and show that closeness, which we have all seen in the dressing room since the start of the season, is very comforting,” he said, in comments translated from Portuguese.
He went further on Mourinho’s presence behind the scenes. “Mourinho is close, humble, kind and ambitious. He is a great person on a human level, as well as a great coach,” Asencio said. He added that “behind closed doors he is a magnificent person, funny, who wants to spend many hours with us and us with him. He is one more in the dressing room.”
That sits alongside a more personal reset. Asencio said, “I made a mistake. I recognized it and I recognize it, I apologized and I will continue to apologize. I am 23 years old and I made mistakes like everyone can make at this age, but I have to be aware of where I am. I am at Real Madrid and this cannot happen again.” He also said, “The fact that Mourinho came to see me and show that closeness ... is very comforting.”
Asencio’s story is still rooted in the injury, but the public tone is strikingly different from a player simply waiting to return. He sounds like someone trying to steady himself after surgery and after a spell where the dressing room has had to support him.
Real Madrid’s backdrop
The wider setting is a Real Madrid side that is already well into its 2025-26 campaign. They are fourth in La Liga after seven matches, with 15 points and a +10 goal difference, and they sit 14th in the Champions League standings after one match.
Asencio also touched on the club’s bigger ambitions. “Impossible? Very possible. For Real Madrid nothing is impossible. With Mourinho we have many chances of showing that we are once again the best team in Europe,” he said, again via A Bola’s translation from Portuguese.
He also backed Kylian Mbappé for the Ballon d’Or, saying, “It would be fair. I see him day by day, for me he is the best player of all the nominees. In football terms, Kylian is the best. The best goalscorer in every aspect. It is an individual award.” Asencio has also spoken about taking Madrid’s number 2 shirt after checking with Dani Carvajal first.
The immediate focus, though, is recovery. Asencio says he is on crutches and dealing with mobility problems until he recovers, and Madrid will be watching for the moment he is fit enough to get back on the pitch.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
