Asier Illarramendi is a Spanish football player who currently features for the Spanish and European giants Real Madrid. He plays as a defensive midfielder and is rated as one of the best young players in whole of Europe.
Illarramendi developed his career at Sociedad’s youth academy and was part of the B team between 2008 and 2011. He made his debut for the first team on June 19, 2010 against Elche in the Spanish Segunda Division with the Basque giants having already won promotion to La Liga.
On January 23, 2011 Illarramendi made his debut in La Liga for Sociedad in a 2-1 loss at Villarreal. He continued to impress for the former Spanish giants in the following two seasons, making a total of 54 appearances for them.
In July 2013 Madrid came calling and signed Illarramendi from Sociedad on a six-year contract for a transfer fee of €32.2 million, making him the most expensive Spanish footballer ever.
Illarramendi has represented Spain at the Under-17, Under-19, Under-21 and Under-23 levels, winning the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship in the summer of 2013.
