How Tennis Legend Helped Real Madrid Sign Important Spanish Attacker

• Multiple Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal played a vital role in the acquisition of Marco Asensio for Real Madrid
• Since his arrival at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in 2015, the 26-year-old attacker has helped Los Blancos win a plethora of trophies
• His contract with Madrid is set to run out at the end of the season and he will be free to negotiate with other clubs from January 2023

Legendary tennis icon and lifelong Real Madrid fan Rafael Nadal reportedly played a vital role in Marco Asensio joining Los Blancos.

According to Mundo Deportivo, as reported by Diario Gol, Rafael Nadal helped Real Madrid sign Marco Asensio back in 2015.

Currently, in his seventh year as a player of Madrid, Asensio - who was by then on the books of Real Mallorca - appeared on the transfer wishlist of both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

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Barcelona agreed to pay the €4.5 million valuation price of the fledgling Spaniard in instalments while Madrid initially bulged at the price and contemplating whether Asensio was worth the money.

Asensio, who was keen on becoming a Barcelona player, had previously announced himself as a fan of the club and Lionel Messi - who was on the roster of Barca at the time - on multiple occasions.

Amid this, Nadal, a huge Merengues fan, called Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to ask him to sign Asensio.

Perez heeded the advice of Nadal and captured Asensio, who has made 239 appearances for the 14-time European champions since, scoring 50 goals and providing 24 assists in total.

Since his acquisition, the now 26-year-old attacker has played a huge part in Madrid's recent boom in success - scoring against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup, Barcelona in the Spanish Super cup, Las Pamas in La Liga and Juventus in the Champions League finals.

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Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Roger Federer's decision to retire has come as a shock to many in the sporting world.

The Swiss superstar announced that he would retire from tennis after the Laver Cup, which takes place next week.

The decision didn't come as a surprise to just those in the tennis world, the football world was also stunned by the news.