🔗 Share this article The Reason Real Madrid Have 'Total Faith' in Teenager Pitarch The teenager has featured in seven games for Real Madrid, featuring five appearances in the starting lineup. When an teenage creates club a historic moment in a pivotal European match against Manchester City, it naturally attracts praise and attention. In only his maiden start in the tournament - and fifth game for the club - Thiago Pitarch suitably impressed as the fifteen-time Champions League winners claimed a three-nil last-16 first leg lead at the Santiago Bernabeu. The teenager, who also made his Real debut in the play-off round a few weeks prior with a cameo off the bench at Sporting Lisbon, then assisted Los Blancos defeat the English Premier League side in Tuesday's second leg to secure a quarter-final berth. Aged 18 years and 226 days, the midfielder was the team's youngest player to begin two matches in the Champions League knockout stages, surpassing Brazil forward Vinicius Jr's record by a week and a half. A Meteoric Rise Through The Academy The midfielder is the latest to emerge from the famed youth system and is quickly establishing himself as one of Alvaro Arbeloa's most exciting young players. He signed for Real from Leganes in 2023, having previously been with Atletico Madrid and Getafe's academies, and initially featuring for the under-19 side, where he quickly made a strong impression. Pitarch progressed to the reserve side and it was in a pre-season game in which they faced the academy's first team, then coached by Arbeloa, where the teenager is said to have drawn the eye of the present manager, who took over from Xabi Alonso in January. Reports would later describe the moment as "an instant connection," adding Pitarch excelled not only for his technical ability, but for the vitality, personality and drive he added to the side. 'His Best Attribute Is His Character' During the pre-season of 2025, former boss Xabi Alonso invited Pitarch to train with the first team and awarded him minutes during pre-season. Yet, it was the change in manager that became the turning point in his career as he came on as a second-half replacement in both ties against the Portuguese side that led to the clash with Manchester City. "I have dreamed of this each night before going to bed, the first day I began playing the game, each day you go to train and every day you have a game," said the player following his debut. "I have just achieved my ambition with the best team in the world and in the top tournament." Handed a first start in La Liga against Getafe - where he was for four years after arriving from Atleti in 2018 - he has retained his place for the following four as injuries to Bellingham and Ceballos provided an opening. The teenager has taken it with performances that have belied his age and experience. "He is a extremely fast player, and you can observe his capabilities," remarked Arbeloa. "He's incredibly dynamic, with excellent endurance, work-rate and mobility." Pitarch's mentality has also impressed his coach. "His greatest quality is his personality," added he. "He constantly demands the ball, and when pressed, he doesn't feel it. "I understand fans might be surprised to watch him make his debut in a Champions League match, but he is selected because I had complete trust in him to perform his normal game. "Thiago will keep receiving opportunities with the first team. It's a pleasure to coach a talent like him." A Future International Decision Pitarch was born in Fuenlabrada, in the Spanish capital's community, and grew up fully immersed in the local game, moving through youth setups before entering Real Madrid's famous La Fabrica system. He holds both Moroccan and Spanish nationality, offering him the choice to play for either country at the highest level. Under international regulations, players may represent multiple nations at youth level without being permanently tied, with the final decision only final once they appear in a competitive full international. He has featured for the Spanish national team at youth level, turning out for both the U19 and under-20 sides, and participated in the 2025 Fifa Under-20 World Cup, where La Roja made it to the quarter-finals. Despite this, he has not yet decided to either senior national team, who are monitoring his progress with interest. In a recent interview, Pitarch confirmed: "I haven't made my ultimate choice yet. My situation is great with the Spanish federation, but I will reach a conclusion in the near future." His situation mirrors that of other dual nationality players such as Real team-mate Brahim Diaz and Barcelona forward Yamal. While 18-year-old Yamal opted for Spain, Brahim opted to represent Morocco. Focus on the Future At present, his attention is on establishing himself in the Real side and rewarding Arbeloa's faith. He featured for 74 minutes in the 2-1 victory at City, which sealed a five-one aggregate success and a quarter-final tie with Bayern Munich. He was replaced by fellow youth graduate in Manuel Angel underscored the coach's confidence in younger players to help the club chase trophies to come. Following his notable contributions to date on the Champions League, Pitarch is tipped to be a central figure in that. "The manager handles me the identical way. We deal with it very normally. I attempt not to overanalyze it excessively - I must deserve my playing time on the field," he said after the win at Etihad Stadium.
The teenager has featured in seven games for Real Madrid, featuring five appearances in the starting lineup. When an teenage creates club a historic moment in a pivotal European match against Manchester City, it naturally attracts praise and attention. In only his maiden start in the tournament - and fifth game for the club - Thiago Pitarch suitably impressed as the fifteen-time Champions League winners claimed a three-nil last-16 first leg lead at the Santiago Bernabeu. The teenager, who also made his Real debut in the play-off round a few weeks prior with a cameo off the bench at Sporting Lisbon, then assisted Los Blancos defeat the English Premier League side in Tuesday's second leg to secure a quarter-final berth. Aged 18 years and 226 days, the midfielder was the team's youngest player to begin two matches in the Champions League knockout stages, surpassing Brazil forward Vinicius Jr's record by a week and a half. A Meteoric Rise Through The Academy The midfielder is the latest to emerge from the famed youth system and is quickly establishing himself as one of Alvaro Arbeloa's most exciting young players. He signed for Real from Leganes in 2023, having previously been with Atletico Madrid and Getafe's academies, and initially featuring for the under-19 side, where he quickly made a strong impression. Pitarch progressed to the reserve side and it was in a pre-season game in which they faced the academy's first team, then coached by Arbeloa, where the teenager is said to have drawn the eye of the present manager, who took over from Xabi Alonso in January. Reports would later describe the moment as "an instant connection," adding Pitarch excelled not only for his technical ability, but for the vitality, personality and drive he added to the side. 'His Best Attribute Is His Character' During the pre-season of 2025, former boss Xabi Alonso invited Pitarch to train with the first team and awarded him minutes during pre-season. Yet, it was the change in manager that became the turning point in his career as he came on as a second-half replacement in both ties against the Portuguese side that led to the clash with Manchester City. "I have dreamed of this each night before going to bed, the first day I began playing the game, each day you go to train and every day you have a game," said the player following his debut. "I have just achieved my ambition with the best team in the world and in the top tournament." Handed a first start in La Liga against Getafe - where he was for four years after arriving from Atleti in 2018 - he has retained his place for the following four as injuries to Bellingham and Ceballos provided an opening. The teenager has taken it with performances that have belied his age and experience. "He is a extremely fast player, and you can observe his capabilities," remarked Arbeloa. "He's incredibly dynamic, with excellent endurance, work-rate and mobility." Pitarch's mentality has also impressed his coach. "His greatest quality is his personality," added he. "He constantly demands the ball, and when pressed, he doesn't feel it. "I understand fans might be surprised to watch him make his debut in a Champions League match, but he is selected because I had complete trust in him to perform his normal game. "Thiago will keep receiving opportunities with the first team. It's a pleasure to coach a talent like him." A Future International Decision Pitarch was born in Fuenlabrada, in the Spanish capital's community, and grew up fully immersed in the local game, moving through youth setups before entering Real Madrid's famous La Fabrica system. He holds both Moroccan and Spanish nationality, offering him the choice to play for either country at the highest level. Under international regulations, players may represent multiple nations at youth level without being permanently tied, with the final decision only final once they appear in a competitive full international. He has featured for the Spanish national team at youth level, turning out for both the U19 and under-20 sides, and participated in the 2025 Fifa Under-20 World Cup, where La Roja made it to the quarter-finals. Despite this, he has not yet decided to either senior national team, who are monitoring his progress with interest. In a recent interview, Pitarch confirmed: "I haven't made my ultimate choice yet. My situation is great with the Spanish federation, but I will reach a conclusion in the near future." His situation mirrors that of other dual nationality players such as Real team-mate Brahim Diaz and Barcelona forward Yamal. While 18-year-old Yamal opted for Spain, Brahim opted to represent Morocco. Focus on the Future At present, his attention is on establishing himself in the Real side and rewarding Arbeloa's faith. He featured for 74 minutes in the 2-1 victory at City, which sealed a five-one aggregate success and a quarter-final tie with Bayern Munich. He was replaced by fellow youth graduate in Manuel Angel underscored the coach's confidence in younger players to help the club chase trophies to come. Following his notable contributions to date on the Champions League, Pitarch is tipped to be a central figure in that. "The manager handles me the identical way. We deal with it very normally. I attempt not to overanalyze it excessively - I must deserve my playing time on the field," he said after the win at Etihad Stadium.