Marco Asensio facts for kids
Asensio with Real Madrid in 2018
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Marco Asensio Willemsen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 21 January 1996 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Palma, Spain | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Winger, attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Paris Saint-Germain | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2006 | Platges de Calvià | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2013 | Mallorca | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Mallorca B | 15 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Mallorca | 37 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2023 | Real Madrid | 191 | (37) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | → Mallorca (loan) | 19 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | → Espanyol (loan) | 34 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Paris Saint-Germain | 31 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | → Aston Villa (loan) | 13 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Spain U16 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Spain U19 | 12 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Spain U21 | 18 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Spain Olympic | 7 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016– | Spain | 38 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:03, 25 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:58, 8 September 2023 (UTC) |
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Marco Asensio Willemsen (Spanish: [ˈmaɾko aˈsensjo]; born on January 21, 1996) is a Spanish professional footballer. He plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for the French club Paris Saint-Germain. He also plays for the Spain national team.
Marco started his career with Mallorca. In November 2014, he signed with Real Madrid. He was then loaned back to Mallorca and later to Espanyol. With Real Madrid, he won many important trophies. These included three Champions League titles and three La Liga titles. In 2023, he moved to the French club Paris Saint-Germain.
Asensio first played for the senior Spain national team in 2016. He represented Spain in the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Early Life and Start in Football
Marco Asensio was born in Palma, Majorca, Spain. His mother was Dutch and his father was Spanish. He joined the Mallorca football club in 2006. Before that, he played for Platges de Calvià. Marco's mother passed away from cancer when he was 15 years old.
When he was younger, Asensio had some problems with his knees growing. These issues got better when he became a teenager.
Club Career Highlights
Starting with Mallorca
Both Real Madrid and Barcelona noticed Asensio's talent early on. He first played for Mallorca's reserve team in the 2013–14 season. Even though he was still a junior player, he made his first team debut on October 27, 2013. He played the last six minutes in a game against Recreativo de Huelva.
Asensio continued to impress in his early games. He was then moved up to the first team by the manager. He scored his first professional goal on March 16, 2014, in a 2–0 win against Tenerife. The next season, he became a regular starter. He scored goals against Osasuna, Deportivo Alavés, and Llagostera within one month.
Joining Real Madrid
On November 24, 2014, Real Madrid agreed to sign the 18-year-old Asensio. The deal was officially announced on December 5. Marco, who had supported Real Madrid since he was a child, signed a six-year contract. The transfer fee was €3.9 million. He stayed with Mallorca on loan until the end of the 2014–15 season. Florentino Pérez, the president of Real Madrid, said that Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal helped a lot with Marco Asensio's move to the club.
Loan to Espanyol (2015–16)
After training with Real Madrid during the pre-season, Asensio was loaned to Espanyol in La Liga on August 20, 2015. He played his first game in the league on September 19. He played 86 minutes in a 3–2 win against Real Sociedad. During his time at Espanyol, he provided 12 assists in total.
Returning to Real Madrid (2016–17)
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Asensio returned to Real Madrid for the 2016–17 season. He was now a full international player. His first official game was on August 9, where he played 120 minutes. He scored a goal from 25 meters in a 3–2 win against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup. He made his first league start 12 days later, scoring a goal in a 3–0 win at Real Sociedad.
In his first season, Asensio played 23 times and scored three goals. Real Madrid won the national championship that year, their first since 2012. He also scored three goals in the Champions League that season. One of these goals was in the final against Juventus, helping Real Madrid win their 12th Champions League title.
Continued Success (2017–18)
Asensio scored his first goal of the 2017–18 season with a powerful shot from 25 yards. This was in a 3–1 win over Barcelona in the Supercopa de España. He scored a similar amazing goal in the second game, helping Real Madrid win 5–1 overall.
On September 28, 2017, Asensio signed a new contract with Real Madrid until 2023. On February 18, 2018, he scored two goals in a 5–3 win against Real Betis. One of his goals was Real Madrid's 6,000th goal in the top Spanish league.
He played 11 games and scored one goal in the 2017–18 Champions League. Real Madrid won their third Champions League title in a row, and their 13th overall.
Later Seasons at Real Madrid (2019–2023)
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On July 24, 2019, Asensio suffered a serious knee injury during a pre-season match. He tore his ACL. He returned to play on June 19, 2020, in a 3–0 win against Valencia. He came on as a substitute and scored with his very first touch. He also assisted Karim Benzema for another goal. He played in the final part of the season, scoring three goals in nine games. Real Madrid won the 2019–20 La Liga title that year.
On September 22, 2021, he scored his first hat-trick (three goals) against his former club Mallorca. Real Madrid won that game 6–1.
On May 28, 2022, Asensio was on the bench when Real Madrid played Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League Final. Real Madrid won their 14th Champions League title. Asensio finished the 2021–22 season with 10 goals in 30 league games. He also won the 2021–22 La Liga title with Real Madrid.
On June 3, 2023, Real Madrid announced that Asensio would leave the club when his contract ended. He became a free agent, meaning he could sign with any team.
Moving to Paris Saint-Germain
On July 6, 2023, the French club Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) announced they had signed Asensio. His contract runs until June 2026. He played his first game for PSG on August 12, in a 0–0 draw against Lorient. Two weeks later, he scored his first goal for PSG in a 3–1 win against Lens. In the next match on September 3, he scored another goal and helped Kylian Mbappé score in a 4–1 victory against Lyon.
Loan to Aston Villa
On February 3, 2025, the English Premier League team Aston Villa announced they had signed Asensio on loan. He will play for them until the end of the 2024–25 season. He made his debut on February 9, coming on as a substitute in an FA Cup win against Tottenham Hotspur. On February 22, 2025, he scored his first two goals for Villa. These goals helped them come back to win 2–1 against Chelsea in the league.
International Career
Marco Asensio has both Dutch and Spanish family roots. He chose to play for Spain, even though he was invited to play for the Netherlands. He played regularly for Spain's youth teams. He made his debut for the under-21 team on March 26, 2015. He came on as a substitute in a 2–0 friendly win against Norway. In July, he was part of the under-19 team that won the UEFA European Championship in Greece. He scored both goals in the semi-final win against France.
On May 17, 2016, Asensio was called up to the senior national team for a friendly game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. He made his debut on May 29, starting in the 3–1 win.
He was chosen for the 2017 European Under-21 Championship squad. Asensio scored a hat-trick in his first game in the competition. This helped Spain win 5–0 against Macedonia. His team reached the final but lost 1–0 to Germany.
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Back with the senior team, he was part of Spain's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He made his World Cup debut on June 20, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 win against Iran.
Asensio scored his first goal for Spain on September 11, 2018. He played the whole game in a 6–0 win against Croatia in the UEFA Nations League. He also helped create an own goal in that match.
In July 2021, he was included in the under-23 team for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
In November 2022, Asensio was part of Spain's squad for the 2022 World Cup. He started in the opening game against Costa Rica and scored the second goal in Spain's 7–0 victory.
Personal Life
Marco's father, Gilberto, was also a footballer. He played as an attacking midfielder when he was younger. Marco's older brother, Igor, played as a defender for Platges de Calvià.
Asensio's goal celebration in the 2017 Champions League final was special for his family. He said, "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 July 10, 2023.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Mallorca B | 2013–14 | Tercera División | 14 | 3 | — | — | — | 14 | 3 | |||
| Mallorca (loan) | 2013–14 | Segunda División | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 1 | ||
| 2014–15 | Segunda División | 36 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 6 | |||
| Total | 56 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 56 | 7 | ||||
| Espanyol (loan) | 2015–16 | La Liga | 34 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 4 | ||
| Real Madrid | 2016–17 | La Liga | 23 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 10 |
| 2017–18 | La Liga | 32 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 53 | 11 | |
| 2018–19 | La Liga | 30 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 6 | |
| 2019–20 | La Liga | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2020–21 | La Liga | 35 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 7 | |
| 2021–22 | La Liga | 31 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 12 | |
| 2022–23 | La Liga | 31 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 51 | 12 | |
| Total | 191 | 37 | 24 | 9 | 59 | 12 | 12 | 3 | 286 | 61 | ||
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 19 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 5 |
| 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | |
| Total | 31 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 7 | ||
| Aston Villa (loan) | 2024–25 | Premier League | 13 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | — | 21 | 8 | |
| Career total | 339 | 60 | 36 | 12 | 73 | 15 | 13 | 3 | 461 | 90 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2016 | 2 | 0 |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 2 | |
Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Asensio goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 September 2018 | Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, Elche, Spain |  Croatia |
2–0 | 6–0 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League A |
| 2 | 23 November 2022 | Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar |  Costa Rica |
2–0 | 7–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup |
Honours and Awards
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2016–17, 2019–20, 2021–22
- Copa del Rey: 2022–23
- Supercopa de España: 2017, 2022
- UEFA Champions League: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2021–22
- UEFA Super Cup: 2016, 2017, 2022
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022
Paris Saint-Germain
- Ligue 1: 2023–24
- Coupe de France: 2023–24
- Trophée des Champions: 2023, 2024
Spain U19
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2015
Spain U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2017
Spain Olympic
- Summer Olympic silver medal: 2020
Spain
- UEFA Nations League: 2022–23
Individual Awards
- Segunda División Player of the Month: October 2014
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship Golden Player: 2015
- La Liga Breakthrough Player: 2015–16
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship Silver Boot: 2017
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2017
- UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI: 2017
See also
In Spanish: Marco Asensio para niños
