On 9 December 2014, on matchday six of the Champions League group stage, Álvaro Medrán came on in the 82nd minute of Real Madrid’s game against Bulgarian side Ludogorets at the Santiago Bernabéu. Five minutes later he scored the fourth goal of a 4-0 win, his first for the Real Madrid first team. Álvaro Medrán Just was born on 15 March 1994 in Dos Torres, in the province of Córdoba, and is a midfielder. A product of the Real Madrid academy, he played in the Spanish top flight for Getafe, Valencia, Deportivo Alavés and Rayo Vallecano. He then spent two seasons in MLS with Chicago Fire, moved to Saudi Arabia at the end of 2021 and has played for Al-Ettifaq since January 2024.
Early years in Córdoba
Medrán started out at Don Bosco CF in 2004. A year later he moved to the youth set-up at Córdoba CF, where he stayed until 2008. He finished his Andalusian education at Séneca CF, another club from the city of Córdoba, between 2008 and 2011. In the summer of 2011 Real Madrid signed him for their academy, starting him in the Juvenil B side.
The Real Madrid academy
In 2012-13 the Juvenil A side won the División de Honor Juvenil and the Copa del Rey Juvenil, though a meniscus problem kept him out of the cup final. That season he also moved into senior football with Real Madrid C, making his debut on 9 December 2012 against UD Salamanca in the Spanish third tier. He played 47 games and scored 13 goals for the C team. On 23 February 2014 he made his Spanish second division debut for Real Madrid Castilla against Real Zaragoza. By 2015 he had made 34 appearances and scored 8 goals for Castilla.
First-team debut
Carlo Ancelotti took him on the 2014 pre-season tour, and he played a friendly against Inter Milan on 27 July. His competitive debut came on 18 October 2014 in a league game against Levante, which Real Madrid won 5-0. Seven weeks later he scored against Ludogorets in the Champions League. That December he was part of the squad that won the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco, although he did not play in the tournament. In all he made five competitive appearances for the first team.
Youth international career
He played three games for Spain’s under-19 side in 2013. His only under-21 cap came on 12 November 2014 in Ferrol, when he came on in the second half of a 4-1 defeat to Belgium.
Getafe, Valencia, Alavés and Rayo
In July 2015 he joined Getafe on loan. He played 20 games and scored twice. His first top-flight goal came on 24 April 2016 in a 2-2 draw with Valencia, in a season that ended in relegation for Getafe. On 11 July 2016 Valencia signed him on a four-year deal. He made 21 competitive appearances for the Mestalla club and scored 3 goals, one of them in the Copa del Rey. In September 2017 he went on loan to Deportivo Alavés. He scored against Levante on 30 September that year, but barely featured after Abelardo Fernández took charge in December, finishing with 21 appearances and 2 goals. In August 2018 he joined Rayo Vallecano on loan and made 22 appearances with 3 goals in a 2018-19 season that ended with Rayo’s relegation.
Chicago Fire and MLS
Chicago Fire announced his signing on 10 October 2019, with the move effective from January 2020. He made his MLS debut on 1 March 2020 under Raphaël Wicky in a 2-1 defeat away to Seattle Sounders. His first goal in the United States came on 26 August 2020 against FC Cincinnati. Over two seasons he played 55 league games and scored 5 goals before leaving the club in November 2021.
Saudi Arabia
On 28 December 2021 he signed for Al-Taawoun of the Saudi Pro League. By December 2023 he had played 66 competitive games and scored 9 goals for the Buraidah club, including appearances in the AFC Champions League. In January 2024 he joined Al-Ettifaq of Dammam.
Al EttifaqMidfielderMarket value €3.5M