Raúl Asencio Vows to Turn Things Around After Drink-Driving Conviction

Real Madrid defender Raúl Asencio has said his only focus is winning at the club and "turning the situation around" after his recent conviction for drink driving.

The Spanish centre-back was fined €14,400 (£12,208) on September 2 and had his driver's licence suspended for eight months. He admitted driving under the influence of alcohol after testing positive at a sobriety checkpoint. One day later, a Spanish court cleared him of charges linked to allegedly recording sexual images of a woman and a minor and sharing them without their consent.

Madrid started a disciplinary process after the conviction. Coach José Mourinho said a "Madrid player is 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 12 months a year."

"He [Mourinho] was absolutely right," Asencio, 23,  told Diario AS. "Ultimately, people form opinions based on what's reported and what they see. I made a mistake. I admitted it then and I admit it now; I've apologised and I'll continue to do so. I'm a 23-year-old lad and I've made mistakes, just as we all do at that age.

"It was a really tough time," he said. "Several things in my life coincided within a short space of time. "But I have to be aware of where I am. I'm at Real Madrid and that can't happen again. I'm taking this seriously and my only focus is on turning this situation around. I'm the one who's most upset about it."

He added: "I dream of turning it all around and winning trophies with this club and in this shirt, hopefully for the rest of my career. That's why situations like this won't happen again."

Asencio came into the first team in the summer of 2024 and played 34 times last season. He has not played this season because of injury. He had surgery on October 1 for a stress fracture in his right tibia and is out until next year.