Madrid's Rising Defender Valdepeñas Makes History in His First Start

Debut milestone for Madrid's rising left-back

Victor Valdepeñas, a Real Madrid player, etched his name in Merengue history by starting against Deportivo Alavés on Sunday night in La Liga.

Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid's manager, entrusted Valdepeñas in the starting lineup, at left-back, amid a run of injuries and absences in that position.

According to Opta, Valdepeñas, 19 years and 55 days old, is the third-youngest Real Madrid starter in the 21st century La Liga era, behind Raphael Varane (18 years, 149 days) and Achraf Hakimi (18 years, 331 days) in 2017.

Madrid's starting XI looked like this:

Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois

Defense: Valdepeñas - Rudiger - Asensio - Valverde

Midfield: Bellingham - Camavinga - Guler

Attack: Vinícius - Mbappé - Rodrygo

Real Madrid sat second in La Liga with 36 points, while Alavés sat 12th with 18.

That appearance marks a promising start for the youngster as Madrid looks toward the season.

Punchline 1: If left-back were a roast, Valdepeñas just served a precise slice.

Punchline 2: The future is now at Madrid—calendars may need updating, stat.