Carlo Ancelotti called up promising young centre-back Rafa Marin to train with the Real Madrid first team on Thursday according to a report in Diario AS. It’s not the first team he’s done so this season and Zinedine Zidane was also said to rate him highly.
Ancelotti rates him as the best centre-back coming through La Fabrica at this moment in time, and has surprised him with his quality. Standing at 1.91 metres tall, the 19-year-old is physically robust but also comfortable on the ball. His height makes him a useful asset both defending and attacking set pieces, and he’s said to be very quick across the ground on top of it all.
Marin has become a key part of Raul’s Castilla team this term, playing seven games and catching the eye of Luis de la Fuente, coach of La Rojita. He could prove a useful asset for the first team, too. Eder Militao and David Alaba are the undisputed first-choice pairing at centre-back, but Nacho is often forced out wide to full-back and Raul Vallejo isn’t rated all that highly.
Marin came through the youth system with Alcolea before spending a single season with the Centro Historico. He joined Sevilla from them, spending two seasons in the Andalusian capital before heading to Madrid to join Los Blancos.
good experience