Thiago Pitarch opens up on Real Madrid breakthrough, relationship with Mourinho: ‘Was terrified during my first session’

Speaking in an interview with Onda Cero (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Real Madrid youngster Thiago Pitarch has opened up on his breakthrough into the first-team setup at the club as well as his relationship with manager Jose Mourinho.

The La Fabrica talent was one of the few positives from an underwhelming last season for Real Madrid, as he became a regular in the senior setup following his debut under Alvaro Arbeloa in January.

Minutes have proven significantly harder to come by for Pitarch this season, but the teenage midfielder continues to remain in the first-team dynamics.

Prior to joining Real Madrid’s academy, Pitarch had stints with Leganes and Atletico Madrid’s youth setups. And the 19-year-old starlet revealed that he jumped at the opportunity to sign for Los Blancos the moment he learned about their interest.

“I started playing when I was very young, at Atletico’s youth academy; the coach was Pantic,” he explained, before adding: “When the opportunity arose to go to Real Madrid at 16, I didn’t hesitate.”

Pitarch was called up to first-team training from pre-season in the summer of 2025 by Xabi Alonso. Recalling his first experience with the senior setup, the youngster admitted that he was terrified.

“I was terrified during my first training session with Real Madrid. In that first training session, I scored a goal from a pass by Mbappe; I have to ask for that video,” Thiago recalled.

Talking about how the moment came about, he added: “As soon as I returned from Marbella with the reserve team, they told me I was going to train with the first team. Xabi Alonso was there, and I was blown away; I had never been up there before.”

Even though he was in and around the first-team setup from pre-season, Pitarch had to wait until January for his debut, which came against Benfica under Alvaro Arbeloa.

Recalling that moment, he said: “When I made my Champions League debut against Benfica, I wasn’t expecting it; I was nervous, but the ball calmed me down.”

Pitarch missed a good chunk of the pre-season this summer under Mourinho due to an injury and has since played only one minute of first-team football.

Despite that, the youngster is enjoying working with the Portuguese tactician, as he revealed:

“Mourinho is very approachable with everyone, a big joker but also serious when he needs to be. It’s an honour that a coach like him says good things about me.”

The youngster also confessed his deep-rooted affection for Real Madrid, saying:

“I’ve always wanted to be a footballer, at Real Madrid, the best team in the world, it’s the life I want to have and I take everything very calmly; in the end you normalize things that aren’t normal, for example, being called up to the team.”

Given his lack of minutes, Pitarch has been linked with a potential departure in January, but Mourinho is understood to be completely against such a move.