Real Madrid experienced a bittersweet night at the Bernabéu on Saturday. The 1-2 loss to Valencia was painful, but the game will be remembered for a special moment — the official debut of Fran González, the 19-year-old goalkeeper who defended the Whites' goal for the first time in a competitive match.

His appearance came under unusual circumstances. With Thibaut Courtois still recovering ahead of the Champions League quarterfinals against Arsenal and Andriy Lunin on the bench nursing discomfort, Carlo Ancelotti turned to Castilla’s rising star. Fran, who joined the club in 2022 from Cultural Leonesa, was called upon for one of LaLiga’s biggest stages.

Despite having been named on the bench 59 times, this was his first official appearance. He had already been training with the senior team for three seasons and had even traveled on the club's U.S. preseason tour, handpicked by goalkeeping coach Luis Llopis. That summer, Fran had also lifted the Under-19 European Championship trophy with Spain, though he didn’t feature on the pitch.

On Saturday, at 19 years and 285 days old, Fran became the youngest goalkeeper to debut for Real Madrid in LaLiga since Iker Casillas did it in the 1999/2000 season at just 18 years and 115 days. He now stands as the fifth youngest goalkeeper to ever start for the club.

Though he conceded two goals, neither was his fault. In fact, he produced a strong save from Diakhaby’s header in the 64th minute. Regardless of the final score, it was a night that marked a new chapter for a goalkeeper with a promising future in white.

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