Déjà vu with Sergio Martínez

Real Madrid have accelerated the signing of Racing Santernder midfielder Sergio Martínez. The 19-year-old versatile youngster made his debut in LaLiga with a banger against Villarreal last weekend. He is clearly a profile for the future, and Real Madrid is not necessarily going to see him as a first-team mainstay.

Born in Laredo in 2007, standing tall at 188 cm, Martínez was in the 95.6th percentile in LaLiga2 last season. He was in the 83.4th percentile for blocked shots. He made his debut for the Racing U19 team in 2024 and graduated to their first team a year later. He has appeared for the Spain U19 team in three games so far.

Sergio Martínez brings a moment of deja vu. Real Madrid signed Spanish midfielder Sergio Canales from Racing in 2010 when José Mourinho was hired as manager. Incidentally, Canales, now 35, is back at Racing after having stints at Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Valencia, Real Betis, and Mexican club Monterrey.