The reason behind Asencio's 'disappearance' at Real Madrid is now known

A clash with coach Álvaro Arbeloa led to Raúl Asencio's exclusion from the Real Madrid squad for several matches, according to Spanish newspaper Marca. The defender eventually apologized and was reinstated last Saturday.

Asencio's absence, despite having played 30 games this season, had been raising questions since March 6th. The reason, as reported by the Spanish publication, was a disagreement with coach Álvaro Arbeloa.

The conflict reportedly began on March 11th, on the sidelines of the Champions League last-16 first-leg match against Manchester City. Asencio was apparently unhappy about being benched, feeling the decision was unfair, especially after believing he had made an effort to play against Celta de Vigo on March 6th. In that game, Real Madrid's defense was significantly weakened, and the player started despite suffering from a cervical contusion.

The situation escalated on March 14th, before the league match against Elche. Asencio was expected to start, but prior to the warm-up, the defender went to Arbeloa's office, accompanied by the club doctor, to report a slight muscular discomfort and state he was therefore unfit to play.

Asencio's attitude not only irritated the coach but also reportedly caused discomfort in the dressing room. Rüdiger, who wasn't expecting to feature in that match, had to replace his teammate in the starting XI, a change of plans the German international was reportedly not pleased with.

Following these events, Asencio remained sidelined from the squad for failing to apologize to the group. The 23-year-old player reportedly finally made amends after the international break.

Now reinstated, Asencio was called up for the league match against Mallorca last Saturday but remained on the bench. The same scenario unfolded yesterday, Tuesday, in the 2-1 home defeat to Bayern Munich in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.