Derby County helped transform Real Madrid player - he's thriving now | OneFootball

Omar Mascarell joined Derby County on loan from Real Madrid in 2014 before going on to play Champions League football

Omar Mascarell joined Derby County on loan from Real Madrid in 2014, and the Spaniard would go on to play Champions League football years later following his brief stint with the Rams.

If you had told Derby County fans that Omar Mascarell would go on to forge the career that he has had, not many would have believed.

Hailing from Tenerife, Mascarell spent time in the youth systems of Santa Cruz, Tegueste and Laguna in the Canary Islands, and would only move to mainland Spain aged 17 to join the youth system of Real Madrid in 2010.

The defensive-midfielder would spend four seasons playing regularly for Real Madrid B and Real Madrid C, and would also make his Los Blancos debut in June 2013, replacing German star Mesut Ozil as a late substitute.

Mascarell would make 38 appearances for Real Madrid Castilla during the 2013/14 season, scoring six and assisting three in the Spanish second tier, and with the likes of Xabi Alonso, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Asier Illarramendi ahead of him in the pecking order, it was clear he would struggle to break into the first team fold.

The Equatoguinean would be made available for loan, and a surprise switch to the English Midlands would ensue.

Omar Mascarell made the loan switch from Real Madrid to Derby County in the Championship in 2014

Derby County announced the arrival of Mascarell on loan from Real Madrid for the season in August 2014, following the news that George Thorne would be spending at least nine months out with a ligament injury.

The Equatoguinean joined the likes of Cyrus Christie, Jack Butland, Jordon Ibe, and Leon Best in heading to Pride Park that summer, whilst Steve McLaren was in charge, but he would initially struggle to break his way into the side.

Derby had the likes of Craig Bryson, Jeff Hendrick, Will Hughes, Paul Coutts, and John Eustace as competition for Mascarell in the midfield, and the Real Madrid loanee would have to wait until the 13th game of the season to make his starting debut for the club, having appeared as a substitute four times before his first start.

After making his first start against Blackpool, Mascarell would immediately return to the bench for Derby's 2-1 loss at home to Wigan Athletic, but would be reinstated to the side the following game against Brentford, where he was finally given a clear run in the side.

The Equatoguinean would start each of the next seven league games, but would continue to be the victim of McLaren's midfield rotation throughout the campaign.

The defensive-midfielder would rupture his tendon in the last quarter of the season, ruling him out for the remainder of the campaign and ending his loan spell prematurely, as Mascarell would make 30 appearances for the club across all competitions that season, scoring none and assisting once.

Derby would finish eighth and miss out on a spot in the play-offs, whilst Mascarell returned to the Spanish capital at the end of the season, with the Rams never truly seeing the best of what was to come from him.

Omar Mascarell has since cited his Derby County switch as 'lucky', going on to become a La Liga regular

Mascarell would go on to spend a season with Sporting Gijon before switching to Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2016, spending two seasons primarily as a squad player at the Deutsche Bank Park.

A move to Schalke followed in 2018, spending three years at the Veltins Arena, again more often than not as a squad player, representing the Royal Blues in the Champions League whilst making over 70 appearances for the club.

The defensive-midfielder would return to Spain with Elche in August 2021 and then to Mallorca in the summer of 2023, having certified himself as a more than competent La Liga player whilst switching his allegiance to Equatorial Guinea.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Mascarell opened up on his time with Derby, saying, "I was lucky that I joined a very good club. They put me with a teacher from the first moment to learn English as quickly as possible. I also had very good teammates who helped a lot."

Mascarell struck a good friendship with Irish midfielder Jeff Hendrick, saying, "He was always there for me, even when I did not speak English. He took me to his home and tried to help me improve every day. Really, he is a great person. I remember him with a big heart. I am still in contact sometimes.

"We played together in the middle and I learned a lot. I had been at Real Madrid where everything was with the ball, more tactical. When I arrived in England it was so physical. The ball would go one way and then the other, it was a lot faster.

Even for the most technically gifted players, the Championship can prove to be a tricky league to adapt to; case in point with Mascarell at Derby.