Alexis Sierra is Real Madrid's rising talent, the star of the Spanish giants' pre-season after a string of eye-catching displays in the warm-up friendlies before the new campaign.
In just seven months, Sierra has turned Valdebebas on its head. He joined Real Madrid last January and started out with Castilla, then broke into the first team during pre-season and dazzled Portuguese coach José Mourinho along the way.
The newspaper "AS" hailed Sierra's talent: "A right winger, 18 years old, highly skilled, who shines on the left flank. A brilliant dribbler and, above all, incredibly daring."
The report went on: "He scored in his first match with the youth team (Juvenil A), then scored another goal in his second match with Real Madrid C. And with Castilla he scored the same goal in his first match as a starter, after providing an assist on his debut."
It continued: "He built his career steadily in the second half of last season, ultimately becoming a key player in the reserve team, and in the outstanding youth team that won the UEFA Youth League title for the second time with Valdebebas. In total, including his time playing with the under-18 team, he scored 10 goals and provided 8 assists in five months. He is a real gem."
AS finished with a verdict on Sierra: "A player Mourinho is now enjoying. He saw him in the first training sessions, while the first team was still in the process of adapting, and he passed the selection process. He has first-team potential, he has something, something that captivated Mourinho."