Real Madrid (‎Los Blancos) | Special Thread

Achraf Hakimi's secrets

​
He has now made his debut, filling in for Dani Carvajal against Espanyol last Sunday, but Achraf Hakimi still remains something of a mystery to many Real Madrid supporters.

However, thanks to his brother Nabil and friend Alvaro, some of the 18-year-old right-back's secrets have been revealed.

His first steps
Arra - as the players asks to be called, to avoid confusion over his name - began his footballing career at Club Deportivo Colonia, at just six years of age.

"He always loved football and watched a lot of videos," his lifelong friend Alvaro recalls.

"It seemed like football was the only thing that existed for him."

Making it to Valdebebas
It wasn't long before Real Madrid spotted him and brought him into their youth academy.

"A scout approached my father and told him that he wanted him to come for trials at Real Madrid," his brother remembers.

"They took him to a tournament in Palencia and it was there that they decided which kids would stay, with him being one of them."

A FIFA ban
In 2009 he became part of Los Blancos' Benjamin B youth team, passing through all of the levels to quickly make the Castilla team.

Yet that was when he experienced one of his worst years as a footballer, as he was one of the youngsters sanctioned by FIFA.

"He didn't expect it and didn't understand what had happened, Nabil explains

"They had a game near Bilbao and once there they told him he couldn't play."

His relationship with Zidane
One of the most difficult decisions Achraf has had to make was this summer, when he had a number of offers from other European clubs.

However, he decided to stay and fight for minutes at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, all because of Zinedine Zidane.

"He has always been close to Zidane, both to him and to his sons," those who know him best explain.

A Moroccan idol
He may still be a teenager, but already he is an idol in Moroccan.

"He is better known there and they consider him as an idol," Alvaro points out.

"In the end, he became the first Moroccan to debut with Real Madrid and that's very important."

He struck a penalty without boots
Nabil and Alvaro will never forget one match that Achraf played with a Madrid XI.

"He told us that he had something prepared, but we never imagined that what he was referring to was that he was going to strike a penalty with no boots on," they reveal, laughing.

"He saw it in a video and kicked his boot first to distract the goalkeeper and then hit the ball.

"The goal didn't count as they disallowed the penalty he hit, but they won in the end."
 
Carvajal faces a minimum of two months out

​
Real Madrid face a troublesome autumn period, with Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Theo Hernandez all being joined on the absent list by Dani Carvajal.

That's because pericarditis will keep the Spanish defender out for a minimum of two months.

Such an ailment is incredibly difficult to treat, as the close proximity to the heart ensures that any medical aid has to be carefully thought through.

Carvajal cannot be rushed back to action and his recovery will be closely monitored, meaning it is unlikely he will play again before December, at the very earliest.

This is not an injury and instead this is a genuine health issue, so the long-term wellbeing of the person is of far more importance than his sporting readiness at this time.

It is an issue brought about by a viral infection, one which would likely clear up fully in a two or three week period for a regular member of the public.

For a professional athlete, it is not that simple and it would be an incredible risk to subject the former Bayer Leverkusen full-back's heart to the rigours of high-intensity sport before it has completely recovered.

There is complete trust from Los Blancos in the medical team entrusted with looking after the 25-year-old, headed by Miko Mihic, with the team having formulated a care plan for the Spaniard.

A side issue is that during his lay-off, Carvajal cannot exercise.

He has to rest his heart and it is feared that this will prolong his absence, given the fact he will lose all match fitness and rhythm.

Consultations have been made to multiple different specialists, where this type of illness is concerned, as the LaLiga champions are leaving absolutely nothing to chance.

Having last played in the 3-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund, the defender hasn't trained since Saturday and received frank medical advice that he should stop in order to avoid any sort of pericardial effusion.

Zinedine Zidane has had to alter his own plans as a result, as Carvajal had been his only mainstay this term, with the options at right-back limited after Danilo's sale.

Achraf Hakimi took his place for the victory over Espanyol and he will be given the opportunity to continue in the Spanish international's absence.
 
Let's talk about [HASHTAG]#WorldCup[/HASHTAG]

So far, the teams who have already booked their place in the World Cup 2018 are: Russia, Brazil, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Belgium, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Germany and England. I don't know what's happened to Tanzania!!!

 
Raúl, Roberto Carlos, Julio César & Vallina will train young academy players to bring out the best in them.

Learn from the best to be the best 😉

 
Toni Kroos [On twitter]: No new injury, don‘t worry. Just taking care of the rib problems that I had during the last weeks...
 
Andrés Iniesta has signed a life-time contract with the Catalans which means he will retire there. A well deserved contract.

Iniesta is arguably the most respected FC Barcelona player among Real Madrid fans due to his class and maturity. [HASHTAG]#VivaLaRoja[/HASHTAG]

​
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar Discussions

Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…