Jesús Vallejo has again played for Real Madrid in an official match. The Aragonese player entered the field with the score 3-0 in the 80th minute of the match between the White Devils and Alavés, which ended 3-2. The former Real Zaragoza player has not played for the national team in an official match since April 2, 2023, in the match against Valladolid.

The Zaragoza native, who has endured three extremely difficult seasons, with long absences and no dependence on the coach, has been loved by the entire Santiago Bernabéu stadium. Many of the more than 60,000 spectators began to chant “Vallejo, Vallejo!” as he went outside to warm up. And they chanted to their coach, Carlo Ancelotti, “take Vallejo out” so he could play the Zaragoza player.

And so it was. Jesús Vallejo entered the pitch with ten minutes left of regulation time, to the applause of the Bernabéu, who gave the center-back a standing ovation. Vallejo was 3-0 up on the scoreboard and had experienced the pain that the white team had unexpectedly suffered.

Goals from Protesoni and Kike García in the 85th and 86th minutes – the second of which came from a central area defended by Vallejo – complicated the game for Real Madrid, who eventually reduced the ball at the back to avoid a draw for the Victorians. Jesús Vallejo himself had to fight several times with the burly and veteran Kike García to clear the ball on the edge of the penalty area.

The game eventually lasted until the 96th minute, with a lot of suffering and tension, something that was completely unexpected in the 80th minute, when Vallejo came out to applaud.

These minutes represented an important mental medicine for the Zaragoza center-back, who has had a very complicated career in recent years, after leaving Real Zaragoza. In the last three seasons (two with Real Madrid and one on loan at Granada), he has barely played nine official matches and almost always came off the bench.

This year, with the lack of signings in the center of defense and the losses the white team has suffered in this area, the opportunity has opened up for him. Until now, Ancelotti has opted for alternatives, such as deploying players outside their usual positions (Mendy, Carvajal…) in that position. Now Vallejo also wants to start counting.