Raul Asencio Acquitted in Explicit Video Case but Faces Drink-Driving Fallout

Raul Asencio has walked out of a Las Palmas courtroom a free man in one case, but with his name still under scrutiny in another.

The 23-year-old Real Madrid defender has been acquitted by a Spanish court of alleged involvement in the recording and distribution of a sexually explicit video involving a minor, linked to an incident at a beach club in Gran Canaria in June 2023. Charges against him were withdrawn in Las Palmas, clearing him of any criminal responsibility in the case.

Three of his former team-mates from the Real Madrid academy were not so fortunate. They were convicted of “child pornography” offences related to the same video and handed one-year suspended prison sentences. The court also ordered them to attend a sexual “re-education” course, imposed a two-year restraining order preventing any contact with the victims, and banned them for three years from working in any profession involving minors.

The sentences were kept to the minimum after the two victims – women aged 16 and 18 at the time – forgave the defendants, a key factor in the court’s decision.

For Asencio, the ruling closes a chapter that has shadowed his early career.

“Today, after a long period of silence and after respecting a judicial process in which I always had faith, I can say that I have been acquitted,” he said in a statement, breaking months of public silence.

He described the strain of seeing his name debated before the courts had spoken. “Over these past months I have been through a difficult situation and, at times, I have had to see how information and opinions about me were published before justice had its say,” he said, before stressing that behind every headline sits “a person and a family who live with the consequences of it.”

Asencio insisted he had always trusted the process. “I have always trusted that justice would eventually set things right. Today there is a judicial ruling that speaks for itself, and I accept it with peace of mind and with the satisfaction of being able to close a very important chapter in my life.”

Yet as one legal battle ends, another issue continues to test his relationship with Real Madrid.

Drink-driving conviction keeps spotlight on Asencio

In a separate case, the club has opened disciplinary proceedings against Asencio after a drink-driving conviction, also in Gran Canaria. On 16 August he was stopped while more than three times over the legal alcohol limit. The offence resulted in a fine and an eight-month suspension of his driving licence.

Inside the club, the matter has not been brushed aside.

Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho addressed the incident when asked about Asencio’s situation, making clear the club’s standards extend well beyond the training ground.

“Raul Asencio, given the situation he found himself in, I talked to him when he arrived and I talked to him about things that happened in the past,” Mourinho said. “I haven't talked with him since but I don't discuss situations outside Valdebebas.”

On the pitch and in the gym, though, Mourinho praised the defender’s approach. “His attitude is perfect here. He picked up an injury a few weeks ago and since then, he is first to arrive and last to leave working on his recovery.”

Then came the reminder of what it means to wear the shirt. “Obviously a Real Madrid player is a Real Madrid player for 24 hours, seven days a week, 12 months a year, so when you do something outside your professional area, it's still Real Madrid and it hurts the club's prestige that is untouchable,” Mourinho said. “So I am not happy. We all make errors but no, I'm not happy.”

Asencio did not shy away from the drink-driving conviction in his own statement. He accepted blame without qualification.

“I am deeply sorry for what happened and I fully accept my responsibility,” he said. “It has been an experience from which I have learned and I am very clear that it will not happen again.”

He spoke of wanting to move forward, not reopen wounds. “I don't want to get involved in controversies or look back. I want to close this chapter with respect, with my head held high and with a great desire to move forward. And I [am] absolutely in agreement with my coach: not only on the pitch, but also off it.”

Acquitted in one courtroom, sanctioned in another, and under the gaze of one of the most demanding clubs in world football, Asencio now faces the real test: what he does next.