Raul Asencio's Fight to Save Real Madrid Career Under Mourinho

Raul Asencio’s fight to save his Real Madrid career is already one of the early tests of Jose Mourinho’s second spell at the club.

The 23-year-old defender is trying to drag himself back from the brink after a series of serious off-field mistakes that have left his future under scrutiny at the Bernabeu.

Mourinho returns – and walks into a storm

When Real Madrid confirmed Mourinho’s shock return in June on a three-year deal, the focus was supposed to be on rebuilding a winning machine, not managing crisis after crisis.

He walked straight into the Vinicius Junior saga, with the Brazilian heavily linked with Arsenal before finally signing a new contract this summer. That alone would have been enough noise for any new coach.

But the most explosive problem waiting on his desk involved Asencio.

Drink-driving case rocks the defender

On August 16, at around 6:30am in southern Gran Canaria, police stopped Asencio at a breathalyser checkpoint while he was driving a Porsche Macan GTS.

He failed both the initial and secondary tests.

Figures published by Spanish outlet Atlantico Hoy say the results came back at 0.90 and 0.88 milligrams of alcohol per litre of exhaled air. Spain’s legal limit is 0.25 mg/l. He was more than three times over.

What followed was swift.

Asencio was summoned to a fast-track trial and handed a €14,400 (£12,480) fine, calculated at €120 per day over four months. On top of that, he received an eight-month driving ban.

And that was not the end of his legal troubles.

Separate legal case over explicit video

The drink-driving trial took place just one day before Asencio was due in court for another case, this time over the alleged sharing of a sexually explicit video said to have been recorded in 2023 by three of his former Real Madrid youth academy teammates.

He is accused of showing explicit images of two female complainants to another person on his mobile phone. Asencio has privately apologised to both women and paid them compensation, with reports stating the women have forgiven him.

Even so, the episode has left another deep mark on his reputation at the club.

Real Madrid weigh internal punishment

Inside Real Madrid, the response has been firm.

According to Defensa Central, the club has opened disciplinary proceedings against Asencio over the drink-driving conviction. He is expected to face internal punishment before he can be fully reintegrated into Mourinho’s squad.

The sanction could be financial. It could be another form of disciplinary measure. The final decision will depend on how seriously the club judges the offence within its own code of conduct.

What is clear is that Asencio understands the scale of the damage. Reports say he is acutely aware of the mistakes he has made in recent years and is determined to reset his career and prove himself to both Real Madrid and Mourinho.

A fragile future under Mourinho

Trust, though, will not come easily.

It has already been suggested that Real Madrid considered selling him in the summer, only for an injury to halt any possibility of listening to offers. That alone underlines how close he has come to the exit.

In response, Asencio has reportedly sat down with Mourinho in a personal meeting, promising to focus completely on his football, improve his performances and leave his recent past behind him.

Now comes the hard part: convincing a demanding coach, a ruthless club and a sceptical fanbase that this is not just another promise, but the start of a genuine turnaround.