Marco Asensio scored a hat-trick in Real Madrid’s 6-1 battering of Mallorca last night, leaving Tottenham Hotspur supporters wishing the Spaniard hadn’t rejected a summer move to Spurs.
During their time together at the Santiago Bernabeu, former Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane saw fit to draw comparisons between his up-and-coming number ten and arguably the greatest footballer of all time.
“Zidane told me that since Messi, he had never seen a left foot like mine,” Asensio said in 2017.
Since then, one of the most naturally talented footballers of his generation has missed almost 60 games due to a series of seemingly never-ending injury problems.
And, even when he was fit, the off-the-cuff brilliance that made Asensio such a joy to watch in his early days in the Spanish capital appeared to have deserted him.
With all due respect to one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs, the fact Spurs thought they had a chance of signing Asensio in the summer transfer window – they apparently wanted to make the 25-year-old their “star signing” – was an indication of how far his stock had fallen (Marca).
Is Tottenham target Marco Asensio back to his best at Real Madrid?
When Madrid were handing Asensio a six-year contract in 2017 complete with a release clause in the region of £450 million, it would have been hard to believe he would emerge as a transfer target for Spurs just a few seasons later.
But as a Real side now under the stewardship of Carlo Ancelotti put Mallorca to the sword last night, it’s tempting to wonder whether the Asensio of old had returned with a vengeance and a point to prove.
According to reports coming out of Spain, the 25-cap midfielder was growing frustrated by his lack of first-team opportunities under Ancelotti.
And, when handed a rare start against Mallorca, he staked his claim for more minutes, producing three razor-sharp finishes with his trusty left boot – a treble even Leo himself would have been proud of.
Here’s what some Real Madrid supporters on Twitter thought about Asensio’s performance:
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
