Raúl Asencio convicted of drunk driving with blood alcohol level four times the legal limit

A routine checkpoint at 6:30 in the morning ended up exposing a serious problem for Real Madrid. Raúl Asencio has been convicted of a crime against road safety after driving with a blood alcohol level that quadrupled the legal limit in Spain.

It all happened on August 16 in Gran Canaria. The 23 year old center back was stopped at a sobriety checkpoint while driving a Porsche Macan. That's where the trouble started: he tested positive on the first breath test with 0.90 mg/l, and to remove any doubt, he tested positive again on the second reading with 0.88 mg/l. Either figure is four times the maximum allowed under Spanish law.

According to various sources consulted by ESPN, Asencio did not fight the case and admitted the facts in an expedited trial. A spokesperson for the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands confirmed the outcome to the American network: a 14,400 euro fine, split into daily installments of 120 euros over four months, and the suspension of his driver's license for eight months. It's not a minor formality: eight months without being able to get behind the wheel is something that tends to be felt in the daily routine of a professional soccer player.

Real Madrid's stance

The club, which was already aware of what happened, chose not to comment when ESPN asked directly about the case. That institutional silence, however, doesn't mean the story ends there. A source close to the situation acknowledges that Real Madrid does plan to act and will apply some form of internal sanction on Asencio in accordance with its own disciplinary code. It remains to be seen what that will look like: a financial penalty, a formal warning, or something more severe.

The timing could hardly be worse for the Canary Islands native. Asencio has been dealing with an injury since July 30, when he suffered a muscle issue in the rectus femoris of his right leg. The club's official medical report at the time described the injury as "pending evolution," without a specific timeline, though various sources suggested the center back could return to the squad in mid September.

Asencio had earned a spot in Carlo Ancelotti's defensive rotation last season, taking advantage of teammates' injuries to make his debut and log significant minutes. Now, caught between his physical recovery and this legal episode, the center back enters the new season with an extra issue to manage, right when he needed to establish himself at a position where competition at Real Madrid never lets up.