Real Madrid star makes pledge to Jose Mourinho after drunk driving conviction

Raul Asencio is determined to return to his best at Real Madrid after several serious mistakes that left his career in doubt.

Back in June, Real Madrid confirmed the surprise reappointment of Jose Mourinho as head coach, agreeing a three-year deal with the football legend.

Since then, Mourinho has had to deal with plenty of drama, including the transfer saga involving star player Vinicius Junior, who was strongly linked with a move to Arsenal ahead of penning his new contract this summer.

However, perhaps the biggest drama presented to Mourinho upon his arrival involved defender Asencio, who is at the centre of a massive drink-driving controversy.

The 23-year-old was stopped at a breathalyser checkpoint in southern Gran Canaria when driving a Porsche Macan GTS at around 6:30am on August 16, where he was deemed to be driving under the influence of alcohol.

Following both the initial and secondary breath tests, Asencio failed having exceeded the legal limits on both accounts.

Reports from Spanish outlet Atlantico Hoy, claim that the tests showed 0.90 and 0.88 milligrams of alcohol per litre of exhaled air, more than three times Spain’s legal limit of 0.25 mg/l.

Shortly after, the Real Madrid star was summoned to a fast-track trial, where he was handed a €14,400 (£12,480) fine, the equivalent €120 per day over four months.

Alongside the fine, Asencio will also serve an eight-month driving suspension.

The trial comes just one day before Asencio is due to appear in court for another legal proceeding relating to him sharing a sexually explicit video allegedly recorded in 2023 by three of his former Real Madrid youth academy teammates.

Asencio allegedly showed explicit images of two female complainants to another person on his mobile phone, but has privately apologised to both women, who are said to have forgiven him, and paid them compensation.

What punishment could Raul Asencio face at Real Madrid?

According to Defensa Central, Asencio is acutely aware of the mistakes he has made in recent years but is ready to put everything behind him to focus on being his best for Real Madrid and Mourinho.

But, before he can do that, he is set to face some form of internal punishment as Real Madrid have opened disciplinary proceedings against the defender over the drink driving conviction.

Depending on the club’s assessment of the seriousness of the offence, Asencio could face either a financial penalty or another form of disciplinary sanction before he can be fully integrated back into the squad.

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And it's likely to be a hard journey back to regain the club's trust, with reports even suggesting that Real Madrid considered selling him over the summer but an injury prevented them from considering offers.

In light of this, Asencio has reportedly held personal meeting with Mourinho in which he promised he would now concentrate fully on his career, improving his football and working to put his recent past behind him for good.