Most fans and players dream of one day playing for Real Madrid.
For Juanfran Moreno, wearing the jersey even just once was enough to make him feel like his dream had become a reality.
The 35-year-old full-back announced the end of his career after playing for Real Betis, Alanyaspor and Getafe.
But when he looks back on his time on the pitch, he cherishes his unique La Liga appearance with Real Madrid’s first team.
The Spaniard made 138 appearances for Real Madrid’s B team, Real Madrid Castilla, before playing alongside some of Europe’s best players at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Juanfran recalled the “dream” of being called up to train with the first team in an interview with Marca.
He said: “I see this as an opportunity to appreciate the Real Madrid players, Raul, Guti, Cristiano (Ronaldo), (Karim) Benzema… It’s a dream.
“I took it as the opportunity of a lifetime, it was incredible and I trained with them until the end of the season.”
But training with such a player was a reality check for Juanfran, who immediately realized he was out of his depth.
“It makes your head spin. You know you’re not at that level yet. To me, it’s memorable, like a title.” I’ve explained it.
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The Madrid-born defender made his debut for Real Madrid in a 3-2 win over Osasuna in 2010.
Sharing the same pitch with Cristiano Ronaldo is something he won’t soon forget.
The retired pro recalled Ronaldo’s stunning 89th-minute winner, saying: “I went in because we needed a change in attack and Cristiano’s magical leap won the victory. I still have one Pictured with (Sergio) Ramos and Cristiano. “It was really unforgettable. “
Juanfran eventually left Real Madrid in 2013 to play in the Betis first team.
After around 47 appearances, he earned himself a move to Watford, but things didn’t go as he had hoped.
Despite playing for the Hornets for three years, he never played a game for the Hornets.
Instead, he was loaned back to Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna for three seasons before making the move permanent in 2017.