"I don't know how to pronounce his name": Real Madrid's super talent takes Manchester City by storm almost out of nowhere – and breaks a 30-year-old record

Thiago Pitarch is still a long way from worrying about thinning hair. Until recently, he was also a long way from games like this one against opponents like City, where he dominated the headlines alongside hat-trick hero Federico Valverde. "This is the kind of game you always play in FIFA," said the young midfielder euphorically after the match. "I'm very happy about the win and how everything went."

Pitarch had only made his debut for Real's first team in mid-February with a brief appearance in the Champions League playoff first leg at Benfica. Almost out of nowhere, he was one of the key figures on the pitch in the clash against City, impressing with three of his standout qualities: fearless attitude, tremendous stamina and great ball control.

Pitarch remained cool when players of the calibre of Bernardo Silva and Rodri repeatedly tackled him aggressively and put him under pressure around his own penalty area. The youngster dealt with it as if he had never done anything else. He did get a little overconfident once when he tried to wriggle away from Nico O'Reilly, who was charging up behind him at the penalty spot. O'Reilly intervened and would have made it 1-3 if Real keeper Thibaut Courtois hadn't reacted so quickly and deflected the ball over the bar with his foot.

Otherwise, Pitarch played an outstanding game in central midfield on his Champions League debut in the starting line-up. "Thiago won't hide, he'll want the ball," coach Alvaro Arbeloa had emphasised before the game, showing his complete confidence in his surprise choice for the starting line-up on this big stage. "I'm sure he'll be great."

Arbeloa was proven right. Incidentally, he helped his super talent set a very special club record: as of Wednesday evening, Pitarch is the youngest Spanish player ever to start in a Champions League knockout match for Real Madrid, at 18 years and 220 days. He surpassed the record set 30 years ago by club legend Raúl, who was 33 days older when he played in a 1-0 win against Juventus Turin in March 1996. In fact, only Brazilian Vinicius Junior was ever a tad younger (18 years and 216 days in February 2019) when he made his first start for the Madrid side in a Champions League knockout match.

What Pitarch also has in common with Raul is that, just like the former world-class striker, he also played for Real's city rivals Atletico in his youth. However, he left the Rojiblancos at the age of ten, spending a few years at Getafe and CD Leganes before finally joining Real's youth team. That was in 2023, and a year and a half later came the day that laid the foundation for the magical night against City.

In January 2025, Pitarch played for Real's U18s in an internal friendly against the U19s, who were coached by Arbeloa at the time. The current coach of the first team was struck not only by the then 17-year-old's immense talent, but also by his astonishing maturity and personality. These attributes, which Pitarch, affectionately nicknamed "the Beast" by Arbeloa, now helped him to quickly make his mark among the professionals.

Shortly after that trial match, Arbeloa promoted Pitarch to the U19s and gave him his first appearances in the Youth League. Then last summer, when Arbeloa was promoted to coach of the second team (Castilla), he took Pitarch with him and made him a regular in the Spanish third division. "The way he always wants the ball, how he keeps it under pressure and always looks for the best solution," Arbeloa highlighted Pitarch's standout qualities. "He makes the right contacts, moves well, makes himself available."

Playing in central midfield for Castilla, Pitarch gained valuable experience in adult football in the first half of the season. Arbeloa's predecessor, Xabi Alonso, occasionally included the Spanish junior international – who, incidentally, could also play for Morocco due to his roots – in his squad, but did not let him play yet. Arbeloa did so for the first time a few weeks ago against Benfica, followed by another brief appearance in the return leg against the Portuguese side at the beginning of March in the league against Getafe (0-1), then Pitarch's first start.

The youngster naturally benefited from Real's current injury problems in midfield: Jude Bellingham and Dani Ceballos have been out of action in recent weeks, and most recently Eduardo Camavinga also had to sit out due to dental problems. The latter was fit to play again against City, but Arbeloa once again put his trust in Pitarch, who he took off after 76 minutes.

Arbeloa does not see the teenager as just a stopgap, but wants to give him playing time even when the personnel situation eases again in the near future. When asked whether Pitarch is the present and future of the Royals, the coach replied succinctly: "Yes."

Pitarch's performance against City in particular reinforced this backing and raised an interesting question: does Real perhaps already have the new midfield strategist, who is expected to arrive late following the departures of Toni Kroos (retiring in 2024) and Luka Modric (moving to Milan in 2025), in its own ranks? Of course, it is still far too early to answer this question conclusively. But it was nevertheless remarkable that Pitarch outshone Rodri, the world star that Real allegedly wants to snap up for its midfield in the summer, in a direct duel.

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