Bittersweet Debut for Fran González with Real Madrid: Historic Record with Defeat

One of the new developments presented by Carlo Ancelotti's starting eleven to face Valencia occurred in the goal.  Fran González, the third goalkeeper of the white team, was a starter at Santiago Bernabéu due to the injuries of Thibaut Courtois and Andriy Lunin... giving more time for both to recover for the highly demanding commitments that are approaching.

Despite the defeat recorded against Carlos Corberán's pupils, the '26' merengue could do little to prevent the two goals conceded. That match, which has awakened so many negative feelings, marked a bittersweet debut for one of the most promising goalkeepers from La Fábrica.

Because Fran González became the youngest goalkeeper to debut with Real Madrid since the incorporation of a merengue legend into the first team: Iker Casillas. The entry of the 'Saint of Móstoles' into Santiago Bernabéu locker room,  in the 99/00 season, set a record that had remained unbeaten until Fran González himself debuted.

The first match of the '26' merengue occurred out of necessity given the injuries of Thibaut Courtois and Andriy Lunin. Everything indicates that the Belgian '1' is finalizing his recovery from the discomfort obtained during the March international break... while the Ukrainian '13' has a damaged soleus and his return still doesn't have a specific or near date to the current competitive moment.

One Step Forward, One Step Back

The appearance of Fran González with the first team is the subject of several records, records that are updated with the entry of the '26' from León. Thus,  the white goalkeeper is the second native of that Spanish province to defend the team's badge in LaLiga: before him was also the youth player and Spanish-Cape Verdean winger Valdo.

Additionally, Fran González enters Real Madrid's record book as the fifth youngest goalkeeper to debut with the first team in official competition. All those debuting goalkeepers, including Fran González himself, have suffered the 'curse' of their debut as first-team goalkeepers: not keeping a clean sheet or achieving victory.

The defeat of Real Madrid against Valencia, by 1-2 at Santiago Bernabéu, confirms the curious dynamic that affects Real Madrid's debuting goalkeepers. Fran González has been much more than a promise for months, as  Luis Llopis aims to make him the successor of Thibaut Courtois... among other things, due to his constant comparisons with the 'giant' Belgian: they have the same height.

Be that as it may, everything points to Fran González returning to the bench for the white team's upcoming matches. With Thibaut Courtois nearing full recovery after his injury with the Belgian national team, the '26' will act as the second goalkeeper during the following weeks... until Andriy Lunin receives medical and competitive clearance to rejoin the merengue sports discipline.