Marco Asensio

Marco Asensio Willemsen (born 21 January 1996) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a winger and attacking midfielder for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Spain national team.

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 featured 23 times over his first season, scoring three times as the club won the national championship for the first time since 2012.

He added as many goals in that year's UEFA Champions League, including one in the final against Juventus (4–1) to give the Spaniards their 12th title in the latter competition.

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.

After starting his career with Mallorca, Asensio signed for Real Madrid in November 2014, being consecutively loaned to his former club as well as Espanyol.

With Real Madrid, he went on to win several honours, including three Champions League and three La Liga trophies.

In 2023, he joined French club Paris Saint-Germain.

Asensio scored his first professional goal on 16 March 2014, netting the first in a 2–0 home win over Tenerife.

He was made a starter under new coach Valeri Karpin, scoring against Osasuna, Deportivo Alavés and Llagostera within a month.

On 24 November 2014, Real Madrid reached an agreement in principle to sign 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.

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

He played his first game in the competition on 19 September, featuring 86 minutes in a 3–2 success at Real Sociedad, and he ended his spell at the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with 12 overall assists.

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.

Asensio made his senior debut for Spain in 2016, representing them at the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Returning to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium for 2016–17, Asensio's first competitive appearance took place on 9 August, as he played the full 120 minutes and scored a 25-meter effort in a 3–2 win against fellow Spaniards Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup.

He made his first league start 12 days later, netting the second goal in a 3–0 success at Real Sociedad.

Asensio scored his first goal of the 2017–18 season with a 25-yard finish in a 3–1 win over Barcelona at the Camp Nou, for the Supercopa de España, He repeated the feat with a similarly spectacular effort in the second leg, in a 5–1 aggregate triumph.

On 28 September 2017, Asensio extended his contract until 2023.

Asensio made 11 appearances while scoring one goal during the 2017–18 Champions League, and the club won its third consecutive and 13th overall title in the competition.

On 18 February 2018, in a match where he contributed with a brace to a 5–3 away win over Real Betis, he scored Real Madrid's 6,000th goal in the Spanish top division.

On 24 July 2019, during a preseason match against Arsenal, he tore his ACL.

He returned for the final stretch of the season, scoring three goals in nine games, as Real Madrid won the 2019–20 La Liga.

On 22 September 2021, he scored his first senior hat-trick against his former club Mallorca, which ended in a 6–1 victory.

On 28 May 2022, Asensio was on the bench against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League Final as Real Madrid went on to win their 14th UEFA Champions League title.

Asensio ended the 2021–22 season with 10 goals in 30 La Liga games.

He also won the 2021–22 La Liga with his club Real Madrid.

On 3 June 2023, Real Madrid confirmed that Asensio would be departing upon the expiry of his contract, thus becoming a free agent.

On 6 July 2023, Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) announced the signing of Asensio, with a contract running until June 2026.

He made his debut in a 0–0 draw against Lorient at the Parc des Princes on 12 August.

Two weeks later, in his second match for the club, Asensio scored his first PSG goal, the opener in a 3–1 home win over Lens.

In the following match away to Lyon on 3 September, he scored another goal and provided the assist for Kylian Mbappé's second in a 4–1 victory for Les Parisiens.

Being of both Dutch and Spanish descent, he chose to represent Spain although he received an invitation from the Royal Dutch Football Association.

On 19 June 2020, in a 3–0 win over Valencia, he came on for Federico Valverde in 74th minute, scored the second goal with his first touch, and provided the assist to Karim Benzema for the third goal.