REAL MADRID DEFENDER ASENCIO FINED €14,400 FOR DRINK-DRIVING OFFENCE

Real Madrid defender Raúl Asencio has been convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol in Spain, adding a new legal setback for the 23-year-old just days before he is expected to appear in court over a separate case dating back to 2023.

Asencio was stopped at a routine traffic checkpoint in San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Gran Canaria, on August 16 while driving a Porsche. Tests reportedly showed alcohol levels of 0.90 and 0.88 milligrams per litre of breath, significantly above the legal threshold. He subsequently admitted the offence during an expedited court hearing.

Following the conviction, the Real Madrid centre-back was handed a €14,400 fine, payable at a rate of €120 per day over four months. His driving licence was also suspended for eight months as part of the punishment for the road-safety offence.

The conviction comes at an uncomfortable time for Asencio, who is also preparing to face proceedings relating to a separate privacy case. He is due before a court in Gran Canaria this week over allegations connected to a video recorded during a 2023 holiday involving several former Real Madrid academy players and two women, one of whom was a minor at the time.

Asencio is not accused of recording the video and did not appear in the footage. Prosecutors allege, however, that he received the material and subsequently showed it to another person. The allegations against him concern an alleged violation of privacy, and he has previously denied engaging in criminal conduct.

Spanish prosecutors had previously sought a prison sentence of two years, six months and one day for Asencio in connection with the privacy case. However, the circumstances surrounding the upcoming proceedings have changed, with reports indicating that the women involved have accepted an apology and that prosecutors could withdraw the charges if the required legal conditions are met.

The privacy case is separate from the proceedings involving three former Real Madrid academy players — Ferran Ruiz, Andrés García and Juan Rodríguez. Those players face more serious allegations concerning the recording and distribution of the material, and their cases are not subject to the same potential resolution through a victim's pardon.

Asencio has consistently maintained that he was not involved in recording or distributing the video. In earlier statements, he stressed that he had not participated in conduct that violated the sexual freedom of women or minors and maintained that the presumption of innocence should apply throughout the legal process.

The latest drink-driving conviction is therefore distinct from the pending privacy proceedings. While the former has already resulted in a court-imposed punishment, the latter remains a separate legal matter in which the final outcome has yet to be determined.

For Real Madrid, the developments add another off-field issue surrounding a player who had emerged as an important defensive option. Asencio has also been dealing with an injury and has yet to make his competitive appearance for the club this season.

The defender will now face renewed attention as he prepares for the next stage of the separate court proceedings, with the possibility that the privacy case could be resolved without the prison sentence previously requested by prosecutors.