Marcos Llorente

Marcos Llorente Moreno, born on January 30, 1995, in Madrid, Spain, began his youth football career at Las Rozas in 2002. He later moved through Nueva Roceña and Rayo Majadahonda before joining Real Madrid’s youth setup in 2008 at the age of 13. Demonstrating early promise, he was promoted to Real Madrid B in July 2014 by manager Zinedine Zidane, making his senior debut in August 2014 in the Segunda División B. His consistent performance led to extensive involvement in the 2014-15 campaign, where he accumulated 1,637 minutes of play across 25 matches for the reserves. Llorente further showcased his talent during the 2015 pre-season with Real Madrid’s first team, participating in friendlies against notable clubs such as Manchester City and Inter Milan. His professional and La Liga debut came on October 17, 2015, as a second-half substitute in a 3-0 home victory over Levante.

In August 2016, Llorente was loaned to Alavés for the 2016–17 season, where he gained significant first-team experience, notably playing the full 90 minutes in a 2-1 victory over Barcelona in September 2016. Upon returning to Real Madrid, his contract was extended until 2021 in September 2017. During this period, he made one appearance in the UEFA Champions League, contributing to Real Madrid’s third consecutive and 13th overall title in the tournament in 2017-18. Llorente scored his first competitive goal for Real Madrid on December 22, 2018, netting the second goal in a 4-1 win against Al Ain in the FIFA Club World Cup final, where he was named player of the match. His career took a new direction on June 20, 2019, when he transferred to local rivals Atlético Madrid on a five-year contract for a reported fee of £35 million.

At Atlético Madrid, Llorente quickly became a pivotal player, making his official debut in August 2019. A significant turning point in his Atlético career occurred on March 11, 2020, during a Champions League round-of-16 tie against Liverpool, where he scored two crucial goals in extra time, securing a 3-2 victory and progression for his team. His influence grew further during the 2020–21 season, where he achieved a career-best of 12 goals and 11 assists, playing a key role in Atlético Madrid’s La Liga title win. This made him the club’s first player since Diego Forlán in 2008–09 to record double digits in both goals and assists. Llorente has also represented Spain internationally, earning his first cap for the Spain under-21 team in October 2016 and making his full debut for the senior squad in November 2020. He was part of the Spain squads for UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, demonstrating his versatility by being deployed as a right-back during UEFA Euro 2020.