Rafa Marín has been on loan at Deportivo Alavés this season.
Following confirmation that club captain Nacho Fernández will leave Real Madrid, Los Blancos will need to bolster their backline ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, and Diario AS claim that they have already chosen one new face in the form of Rafael Marín.
Marín is currently on loan at Deportivo Alavés until the end of the current season, having wanted a taste of first team soccer after impressing while playing for Raúl González's Castilla team in Primera RFEF in the third tier. He made himself one of the leaders of the team pushing for promotion to the second tier, and logically wanted to step up to the top level in 2023/24.
Having made an inconsistent start in Vitoria-Gasteiz with Alavés, he has started all but one league game since November for the Babazorros. There was talk that he could depart the club early to cut short his loan and return to the capital in January, but his coach, Luis García Plaza, made a clear public statement, saying, “if they ask me, that would cause us a lot of damage”.
At six feet and three inches, he’s a powerful presence in the air, while his ability to play with both feet mean that he is also able to lead construction from the back when in possession. It’s a skill he hasn’t been able to make the most of at Alavés, but it has been a year which has given him great experience.
When asked if he felt he could break into the first team, he told MARCA, “that is very difficult, Real Madrid have the best and what you are looking for with the loan is to improve as a player, get that experience that I still did not have and still do not have because well, the level of La Liga and the players is very high and is getting higher and higher. You have to work hard, improve physically and mentally, and get as much experience as you can”.
His form has been good enough to catch the eye of Xabi Alonso and Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, who are also interested in signing him for next season, according to Bild.
Who is Rafa Marín?
Set to turn 22 in May 2024, Rafa Marín was born close to the city of Seville, playing for his hometown team of Alcolea del Rio from the age of seven to 11, when he was picked up by scouts from Sevilla.
He joined the Andalusian club official in 2014, playing for them for two seasons before he made his move to Real Madrid, working his way up through the age groups to eventually make Raúl’s Castilla side and become a regular there.
That form was enough to catch the eye and earn him a call-up to the national Spain team, where he also represented his country at under 17 and under 18 level before skipping straight to the under 21s where he currently features.
Other defensive targets for Real Madrid
Marín would clearly not be returning to the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu as a regular starter for Carlo Ancelotti, but would likely come in as the fourth choice behind Antonio Rüdiger, David Alaba and Éder Militão in the central defensive positions.
Other additions are expected, with Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies strongly linked with a move to Spain as he enters the final 12 months of his current contract in Germany.
Further options could arrive, with Lucas Vázquez’s future also uncertain with the second-choice right-back yet to extend his contract beyond June 30. If he were to depart, cover on the right of defence could also be needed.
