After spending his entire professional career with Real Madrid, Lucas Vazquez has now left the Spanish capital. The 34-year-old has committed to a two-year contract with Bayer Leverkusen following the end of his agreement with Los Blancos this summer.
During his time at Madrid, the versatile Spaniard made 402 appearances across competitions. He collected 20 major honours, including five Champions League crowns, four La Liga titles, and three Club World Cup medals.
Vazquez first broke into the senior side in 2015, coming through the youth ranks. He featured mainly on the flanks but was also deployed in defence when needed. His international experience includes nine caps for Spain.
Reasons behind switch to Germany
The veteran stated that conversations with Xabi Alonso, now Madrid coach and formerly in charge of Leverkusen, as well as Dani Carvajal, a former Leverkusen loanee, encouraged his decision. Vazquez said that talks with the German club confirmed the ambition he was told about: a hunger for victories and pursuit of top objectives.
“I share that mentality and look forward to fighting for achievements here,” he explained in his introduction.
Despite playing 32 La Liga fixtures in the previous campaign, his involvement decreased at the Club World Cup, where he came off the bench twice after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s arrival.
Leverkusen squad changes this summer
Leverkusen required a new option in wide defence after Jeremie Frimpong’s transfer to the English champions earlier in the window. The Bundesliga side had also parted ways with key figures from their earlier double-winning group.
Playmaker Florian Wirtz completed a move to Liverpool, Granit Xhaka joined Sunderland, and centre-back Jonathan Tah left for Bayern Munich on a free.
