Marco Asensio

Mallorca

After being scouted by Real Madrid and Barcelona, Asensio made his senior debut with Mallorca's reserves in the 2013–14 season in the Tercera División, despite still being a junior; he made his first competitive appearance for the first team on 27 October 2013, playing the last six minutes in a 1–3 away loss against Recreativo de Huelva in the Segunda División. Again from the bench, Asensio played the last six minutes in a 0–0 home draw against Lugo. After impressing in his first games, he was promoted to the first team by manager José Luis Oltra. Asensio scored his first professional goal on 16 March 2014, netting the first in a 2–0 home win over Tenerife. The next season he was made a starter under new coach Valeri Karpin, scoring against Osasuna, Deportivo Alavés, and Llagostera within a month.

Real Madrid

On 24 November 2014, Real Madrid reached an agreement in principle to sign 18-year-old Asensio. On 5 December the deal was officially announced, with the player (who had been a supporter of the club as a child) signing a six-year deal for a €3.9 million fee and remaining with the Bermellones on loan until the end of the campaign. According to Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal played a crucial role in the transfer of Marco Asensio to Real Madrid.

2015–16 season: Loan to Espanyol

On 20 August 2015, after making the whole pre-season with Real Madrid, Asensio was loaned to Espanyol in La Liga.…

Being of both Dutch and Spanish descent, he chose to represent Spain although he received an invitation from the Royal Dutch Football Association. After being a regular for Spain at youth level, Asensio made his debut for the under-21 team on 26 March 2015, coming on as a late substitute for goalscorer Gerard Deulofeu in a 2–0 friendly win over Norway in Cartagena. In July, he was part of the victorious under-19 side at the UEFA European Championship in Greece, where he scored both goals in a semi-final victory over France in Katerini, in the 88th minute and in added time.

On 17 May 2016, Asensio and Espanyol teammate Pau López were called up to the full side for a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 20-year-old made his debut on the 29th, starting in the 3–1 win in Switzerland. Selected in the squad for the 2017 European Under-21 Championship by manager Albert Celades, Asensio scored a hat-trick in his debut in the competition, helping to a 5–0 group stage routing of Macedonia. He reached with his teammates the final of the tournament, losing 1–0 against Germany. Back with the seniors, he was included in Julen Lopetegui's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, making his debut in the competition on 20 June by replacing Real Madrid teammate Lucas Vázquez for the final ten minutes of the 1–0 group stage win against Iran. Asensio scored his first goal for Spain on 11 September 2018, playing the entire 6–0 home rout of Croatia for the UEFA Nations League and also being…

Born in Palma, Majorca, Balearic Islands, to a Dutch mother and a Spanish father, Asensio joined Mallorca in 2006 from Platges de Calvià. His mother, Maria Willemsen, died of cancer when he was 15. Asensio struggled with growth deficiencies in his knees during his youth, which only subsided when he was a teenager.

Asensio's father, Gilberto (a Basque who spent his childhood in Essen, Germany), was also a footballer. Also an attacking midfielder, he represented Barakaldo CF as a youth; Marco's elder brother Igor played for Platges de Calvià, as a defender. Asensio's goal celebration in the 2017 Champions League final was dedicated to his family: "I told them that if I scored then I'd run to where they were. I knew where they were and that is what I did." Asensio married his long-time girlfriend Sandra Garal on 10 July 2023. In June 2024, Asensio and Garal announced on their respective social media confirming a mutual agreement to divorce. Asensio holds dual Spanish–Dutch citizenship and is multilingual, being a native speaker of both Spanish and Dutch while also speaking fluent German, English and Catalan.