How Rafa Nadal played key role in persuading Madrid to sign Asensio

Rafael Nadal is one of the world's most famous tennis players but he still finds time to get involved in football by the looks of it.

The Spaniard is a staunch Real Madrid supporter - and he also has a connection with his local club, Mallorca - where Rafa once owned a 10 per cent stake.

Back in 2013 he's seen Marco Asensio play for Mallorca and told Flo Perez to 'sign the kid up'. It's exactly what Real Madrid did 2 years later, for a meager €3.9m.

Asensio went on to make 183 appearances for Los Blancos to date, scoring 36 goals and supplying 22 assists. Not too shabby for someone signed so cheaply - and kudos to Rafa for making this happen.