Athenea: “I’ve been a Madridista since I was a kid. I’d pay to play for Real Madrid.”

Real Madrid’s Athenea del Castillo was recently interviewed by the popular Spanish YouTube channel El Patio.

The club signed 20-year-old Athenea from Deportivo La Coruña this summer, marking her out as one of the brightest young talents in the world. With Marta Cardona injured since the start of the season, the youngster has shouldered much of the attacking load from the wings and has been electric at times, showing off her skill and audacity on the biggest stage in the Champions League vs. Manchester City.

Near the end of the interview, she talks about how she’s been a Madridista since birth, something that has held true for her whole family.

I’ve been a Madridista since I was little. It was a dream to wear the All-White shirt. All of my family are Madrid supporters: my grandparents, my uncles. If I had to, I’d pay to play for Real Madrid.

Athenea also revealed that she had an interesting ritual where she’d carefully place a bunch of stuffed animals under an altar of the Virgen del Carmen for good luck before games.

El Patio

When asked who she’d prefer to be stuck in an elevator with and who she wouldn’t, Athenea said that she liked Teresa Abelleira for her calm personality, but that she couldn’t bear to be trapped with Esther González, who apparently never stops talking.

Finally, Athenea mentioned some of the players that have influenced her in her short time with Real Madrid and the Spanish national team.

As a young girl on my first day [at Real Madrid], there were many things that I had not experienced in regard to professionalism. Corredera, Cardona, Esther — they are incredible people who are role models.

Aitana [of Barcelona] is spectacular. It’s incredible to train with her and learn from her...how she plays, how she positions herself, how quickly she makes decisions.