Beñat Turrientes is fighting his way through at Real Sociedad, with the 20-year-old considered one of the best prospects at the club.
He’s found a home already with Spain’s U21 side, and Marca state: ‘Luis de la Fuente (the manager) has found in him the engine he needed for the U21s.’
The youngster is clearly highly rated, and as Marca carry an interview with the player on Friday, they say he speaks like a veteran, despite his young years.
The image used for the article is of Turrientes showing a tattoo on his arm which reads ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, and Liverpool, and his father’s love for the club, are the reason.
When asked about it, the Real Sociedad player said: “Yes, my father was very fond of Liverpool, and the Liverpool song is ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. He always played that song for us at home. It means you will never be alone and when he passed away my sister and I got it tattooed for him. Every time I enter the field I kiss the tattoo and think of him always.”
Turrientes has been coached by Xabi Alonso in La Real’s set-up, and he’s also been compared to the midfielder. When asked about the praise and hype he’s been receiving, he said: “A lot of people tell me that I’m being talked about very well on social media, but I don’t focus on that. I don’t go on my mobile and see what they say about me, I play football, which is what I like, and I try to do as well as I can. It’s a pride that they talk about me like that, but I have to keep working and be at my best.”
Alonso had a great career, excelling for the likes of Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. When asked what it’s like to learn from such a giant of the game, Turrientes said: “When I saw the news that Xabi was coming to Real, it was 
extraordinary. Going from seeing Xabi as a child on television winning the Champions League, playing with the national team, winning the World Cup… to seeing him as your coach is a source of pride. I am learning a lot from him, he gives me a lot of advice on how to play and how to be during the match. He is helping me a lot.”
Beñat Turrientes still has a long way to go with his career, but he’s certainly one for Liverpool fans to keep an eye on, for his family connections to the club, that tattoo, and the comparisons with Xabi Alonso.
