Batalla reveals Real Madrid came knocking before his career rollercoaster
Rayo Vallecano's Argentine keeper opens up about rejecting Madrid as a youngster and the mental health struggles that followed in his career.
Rayo Vallecano’s Argentine shot-stopper has lifted the lid on a career-defining decision to snub Real Madrid’s advances when he was just a teenager, before later hitting rock bottom mentally.
Madrid calling
Augusto Batalla, who joined the Vallecas outfit last August and has quickly become a fan favourite, revealed that Los Blancos came calling early in his career.
“When I was young (19 years old), Real Madrid came looking for me, but I decided to stay at River Plate,” the 29-year-old keeper admitted in a candid interview with El Chiringuito Inside.
The Buenos Aires-born goalkeeper chose loyalty to his boyhood club, a decision that initially paid dividends as he made his debut and won a championship. However, he couldn’t maintain his position at River’s demanding level.
Journeyman years
After leaving River, Batalla embarked on what can only be described as a proper tour of South American football before landing in Spain:
- Atlético Tucumán (2018)
- Tigre (2018)
- Unión La Calera (2019)
- O’Higgins (2020-21)
- San Lorenzo (2021-2023)
- Granada (2024)
- Rayo Vallecano (2024-present)
Mental health struggles
The most revealing part of Batalla’s interview wasn’t about his career moves, but his battle with mental health issues that threatened to derail everything.
“I started building a shell around myself, and at some point you find yourself completely alone and you have to break it,” he explained.
Batalla credited professional help as his salvation: “I went to a psychologist and still go. My psychologist was really the person who got me out of there. I didn’t get out alone.”
Wine to wind down
The keeper’s struggles manifested in sleep problems that led to concerning coping mechanisms.
“I had a period, when I was 20, where I had to drink two glasses of wine to go to sleep,” Batalla confessed. “It’s not normal for a 20-year-old kid to go through those things.”
Now seemingly in a better place at Rayo, Batalla’s story offers a stark reminder of the mental pressures young players face when making life-changing career decisions.