Meet Alexis Ciria, the 18-year-old Real Madrid winger already winning over José Mourinho

From Badajoz to Seville, Madrid, and now Klagenfurt, Austria. Those four stops tell the story of the remarkable rise of Real Madrid winger Alexis Ciria, an 18-year-old whose career has accelerated at breathtaking speed.

Just six months after joining the club in January, Ciria has become one of the biggest success stories to emerge from Valdebebas. He made his Castilla debut with an assist, scored in his first start, helped lift the UEFA Youth League trophy, and announced himself to the senior squad with a goal against Fiorentina in preseason.

Now, it appears José Mourinho is ready to give him even more opportunities.

Mourinho already sees something special

“He’ll get some minutes. It’s a long season,” people close to the coaching staff say.

Ciria’s performances have made a strong impression. His inclusion on Real Madrid’s preseason tour of Austria was no token invitation. The plan remains for him to play a leading role with Castilla this season, but appearances with the first team are increasingly expected rather than unlikely.

Mourinho has been particularly impressed by the teenager’s fearless style. The Portuguese coach has already begun including Ciria among the academy players he affectionately refers to as “his kids.”

“The coach told me to be myself and enjoy it,” Ciria told Real Madrid TV after the match in Klagenfurt.

He certainly looked like he was enjoying himself. Just as importantly, he showed the work ethic Mourinho demands from every young player hoping to earn first-team opportunities.

After the game, Ciria swapped jerseys and caught up with former Spain youth teammate Álex Jiménez, who recently joined Fiorentina. His match jersey was completely soaked, so he handed Jiménez a fresh, unworn Real Madrid shirt instead. The No. 39 jersey, without his name on the back because of preseason kit preparations, is now headed to Florence.

A father’s sacrifice behind the dream

There will likely be plenty more jerseys to give away, especially to his father, Manuel, one of the key figures behind his son’s rapid rise.

A former amateur soccer player himself, Manuel has always known how to motivate Alexis when it matters most.

“I spoke to him before the game,” Ciria said. “He sent me a picture of when I was little and told me to do it for the family. He told me he loves me more than anyone.”

The family’s commitment has been extraordinary. While Ciria was developing at Sevilla’s academy, his relatives regularly made a roughly 260-mile round trip every day so he could train and play, sacrifices that eventually paved the way for his move to Spain’s biggest club.

Preparing for his moment

Mourinho has pushed his players relentlessly throughout preseason, and academy prospects have received no special treatment.

Fortunately for Ciria, he arrived fully prepared.

After last season ended, he took only one week completely off before returning to training. He worked with personal performance coach David de la Hera, whose clients have included World Cup winner Fabián Ruiz, fellow Extremadura native Pedro Porro, and two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas.

Ciria knew several first-team regulars would return late following the FIFA World Cup, creating unexpected opportunities for younger players. Vinícius Júnior’s extended vacation, in particular, opened the door on the left wing.

When his opportunity arrived, Ciria made sure he was ready.

His goal against Fiorentina may prove to be the defining moment of his young career.

“When the ball came to me, everything around me disappeared,” he said. “Once it went in, it was a huge relief.”

The $1.4 million clause Real Madrid could soon trigger

Ciria’s present looks bright, and those around the club believe his future could be even brighter.

If he continues on his current trajectory and establishes himself with the first team, Real Madrid will owe Sevilla additional payments under the terms of his transfer agreement.

The first milestone is relatively modest. If Ciria plays at least 45 minutes in an official first-team match, Madrid will pay Sevilla about $138,000.

Should he reach 10 official appearances of at least 45 minutes each, the total payment would climb to approximately $1.38 million.

The first benchmark already appears well within reach. It could even happen this season.

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