The Journey
Albal, Horta Sud
Born on 26 March 2007 in Albal, a town of some sixteen thousand people just south of Valencia, in the flat belt of the Horta Sud. Levante took him at seven and kept him for five years. Atlético de Madrid took him at twelve, in 2019, and moved him to the capital. Real Madrid took him at fifteen, in 2022, and he has been at Valdebebas ever since. Three of Spain's academies, in that order, before he could vote.
The Renewal, and the Clause
His contract was running out in June 2026 and the queue of interested clubs was long. In June 2025 Real Madrid extended him to June 2029 — and, to get the signature, wrote in a clause: if the club does not register him with the first team, he can leave on loan to any team in a higher division than Castilla's. Reports through 2026 attached Ajax, Porto, Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting to his name. He is still here.
The Year of Almost
In June 2025 he was one of the academy names in Real Madrid's 34-man squad for the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, and did not play. On 10 April 2026 Álvaro Arbeloa named him in a La Liga squad against Girona with Trent, Carreras and Rüdiger all missing, and he did not come on. Ten days later he started a European final and won it. He has now spent two seasons a metre away from a first-team debut without ever crossing the line.
Two Trophies in Twelve Weeks
On 20 April 2026 in Lausanne, he started the UEFA Youth League final, crossed from the right for Jacobo's back-heeled opener on 23 minutes, and was taken off at half-time; Real Madrid beat Club Brugge 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. On 11 July in Wrexham, Spain beat Germany 2-0 to win the Under-19 European Championship. Spain played five matches at that tournament and conceded nothing in any of them.
What He Won in 2026
UEFA Youth League: Real Madrid's second, won on penalties in Lausanne on 20 April. He started the final and assisted the goal.
Under-19 European Championship: Spain, in Wales, 11 July. Five matches, five wins, no goals conceded, a regular starter at right-back.
Not yet: a single competitive minute for Real Madrid's first team. Everything on this page bends around that.
Two Rooms He Has Been In
The Club World Cup, June 2025: named in the 34 who travelled to the United States, alongside Mbappé, Bellingham and Courtois. Three matchday squads, no minutes.
The Bernabéu, 10 April 2026: in the La Liga squad against Girona. He warmed up, sat down, and went back to Castilla.
The Queue Ahead of Him
Dani Carvajal — the right-back he grew up naming as his model — left at the end of last season. That did not open the door: Real Madrid have Trent Alexander-Arnold and, since the summer, Denzel Dumfries. Both were named for tonight's Champions League tie. Fortea was not.
Four players who have been on a Castilla team sheet this season were: Sergio Mestre, Javi Navarro, Mario Rivas and Jorge Cestero. The gap between the reserve team and the first team is not a wall. It is a door, and other people keep going through it.
The Clock
Three seasons left on the contract. Twenty-five senior appearances so far, 1,538 minutes, none of them for Real Madrid. He turns twenty in March. Full-backs are allowed to develop late — but not at this club, and not with that clause sitting in the drawer.