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Under-the-Radar Real Madrid Signing Could Make Debut Against Real Betis

The $3.5 million arrival has already wowed La Liga fans.
Andrew Headspeath|
Sergio Martínez was a wanted man before joining Madrid.
Sergio Martínez was a wanted man before joining Madrid. | Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

José Mourinho revealed new signing Sergio Martínez could make a surprise debut for Real Madrid against Real Betis on Friday.

The 19-year-old arrived with little fanfare when he was signed on Aug. 31 after Madrid activated his $3.5 million (€3 million) release clause at Racing Santander.

The midfielder only made his first appearance in senior soccer in Aug. 2025 and made his La Liga bow just last month following Santander’s promotion back to the top flight.

A goal of the season contender scored against Villarreal alerted top clubs of his potential, with Barcelona among those interested, but it was Real Madrid who ultimately secured the young talent before Deadline Day.

Registered to Real Madrid Castilla for this season, Martínez has trained with the senior squad during his first week at the club and has even been included in the traveling party to face Real Betis on Friday.

Mourinho: Martínez ‘a Lad With Potential’

José Mourinho
Mourinho talked up the potential of Martínez. | Burak Akbulut/Anadolu/Getty Images

Speaking in his prematch press conference, Mourinho confirmed that Martínez could be part of the team to take on Betis at La Cartuja despite only just arriving at the club.

“The plan is for him to be on the bench tomorrow,” Mourinho told reporters. “That should give you a pretty good idea of ​​the plan.

“He’s only trained with the first team for two days. I can’t tell you much more. But obviously, before the club signed him, knowing he wouldn’t be a first-team player directly ... we also analyzed and gave our opinion on whether he could ever make it here. He’s a lad with potential.

“Tomorrow he’ll be on the bench. We’ll see. We’ll see if he plays or not, tomorrow. But it’s a step forward, just being with us.”

Asked more generally about La Fábrica, Mourinho talked up the possibility of more opportunities for the club’s rising stars, adding “They can all be excited that their time with the first team will come.”

Who Is Sergio Martínez?

The inclusion in the squad for the trip to Seville is a big show of faith in Martínez, who remains a complete unknown to many fans.

The teenager, who is part of Spain’s U-19 setup, joined Racing Santander at the age of 10 and developed into one of the club’s top prospects, making his breakthrough during their promotion-winning campaign last season.

Martínez is seen as a versatile midfielder, capable of playing in both deeper and more advanced roles. He has already demonstrated his goalscoring potential with a rocket from outside the box on his La Liga debut against Villarreal last month.

As part of Real Madrid’s B team, he will hope to emulate the example of fellow midfielder Thiago Pitarch, 19, who broke into Los Blancos’ senior team last season and has earned his place alongside the more established stars.

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Andrew Headspeath
ANDREW HEADSPEATH

Andy Headspeath is a Real Madrid correspondent for Sports Illustrated FC. Originally from the UK, the weather, culture and soccer lured him to Spain over a decade ago where he lives with his wife, son and two untrainable dogs. A player of unspeakably limited talents and only one fully functional knee, he has more than a decade's experience in a wide variety of editorial roles within sports media, from match reporting to in-depth feature writing and interviews. He specializes in soccer history and culture, as well as—of course—La Liga.

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