Jose Mourinho is considering keeping Real Madrid Castilla winger Alexis Ciria with the senior squad for the new season after the youngster impressed during the club’s preparations.
Ciria has made a striking impact since arriving at Real Madrid in January. He began his Castilla career with an assist, raised expectations by scoring on his first start and went on to win the youth league title.
The 2-2 draw with Fiorentina on Saturday provided another significant moment, as the winger produced a strong performance and scored for Real Madrid.
Spanish newspaper AS reports that sources close to the Real Madrid coaching staff expect Ciria to be given opportunities during the long campaign.
“His presence in Austria was not merely a symbolic gesture,” the report said. “Under the plan designed for him, playing a leading role with Castilla will be the foundation, but seeing him with the first team from time to time will not be an exception.”
It added: “Mourinho is impressed by his natural talent. He is beginning to become one of his favourite players.”
Ciria has spent the past six months generating excitement at Valdebebas, Real Madrid’s training complex, and his progress has come during a demanding pre-season period under Mourinho.
The manager has shown no leniency during the three weeks being treated as an almost official preparation period for the new campaign. His expectations have applied equally to everyone, including players from the club’s youth system.
Ciria, however, had prepared carefully for the opportunity. After the end of last season, he allowed himself only one week of complete rest, taking a full physical and mental break before returning to work.
By the eighth day, he was back in training and working under the supervision of his personal coach, David de la Hera.
The winger was determined not to remove himself from contention. He understood that the departure of players involved in the World Cup could create openings within the squad and give him a chance to make an impression.
An additional week of holiday for Vinicius, the undisputed first-choice player in Ciria’s position, created another opportunity. Ciria was ready when it arrived.
The final contribution from fortune came in the form of the most valuable moment of all: his goal against Fiorentina.
Ciria is currently enjoying an excellent run, and his prospects appear increasingly promising. If he maintains his progress and earns a place in the first team, Real Madrid will have to make a number of payments to Sevilla.
Those sums are considered reasonable given the ability shown by the player from Badajoz.
If Ciria makes one official appearance for Real Madrid’s first team, playing at least 45 minutes, the club will have to pay Sevilla €120,000.
Should he reach 10 appearances, again playing a minimum of 45 minutes in each, the total fee will rise above €1m, reaching €1.2m.
For now, his role with Castilla remains the expected foundation of his development. But the combination of his rapid progress, Vinicius’ absence and his performance against Fiorentina has placed Ciria firmly in Mourinho’s plans for the months ahead.
