Derby County supporters may be shocked that 2014 signing went on to bigger things: View | OneFootball

When it comes to transfers, Derby County very rarely look further than the United Kingdom when recruiting players to turn out at Pride Park.

The most recent bits of overseas business completed by the Rams have included the signings of Kamil Jozwiak from Lech Poznan, Mike te Wierik from FC Groningen and DC United's Wayne Rooney, but very rarely have the East Midlands side ventured away from the British Isles.

But ahead of the 2014/15 Championship season, not one, but three players would join Derby from Spain, one of whom would swap the Bernabeu for Blackpool away, as they welcomed midfielder Omar Mascarell from recently crowned 10-time Champions League winners, Real Madrid.

Omar Mascarell's Derby County career

Having been within La Fábrica since the age of 17, Mascarell featured for Real Madrid's C team and RM Castilla from 2011 to 2014, making nearly 100 appearances across both teams while scoring 10 goals in that time.

His move to Pride Park was the first loan move of his professional career, and he was welcomed to the East Midlands along with a host of new arrivals. Throughout the season, the likes of Jesse Lingard, Darren Bent, Tom Ince and Jack Butland would be added to Steve McClaren's ranks in their quest of returning to the Premier League.

Mascarell also had the comfort of seeing two fellow Spanish compatriots join him at Derby that year, Raul Albentosa and Ivan Calero also swapped Spain for England that campaign.

He would make his debut five days later, replacing Will Hughes in a 1-0 win over Rotherham United at Pride Park.

The Spaniard would then struggle to make an impact within the first-team, only featuring four times in Derby's next 13 games in the league, with only one being from the start.

But with injuries in midfield piling up, Mascarell was given his chance and would start in the next eight games in the Championship, assisting his first goal since his loan switch in a 5-0 win over Wolves, showcasing his defensive and attacking capabilities with sprinkles of evident skill and quality with the ball at his feet.

Despite turning out for the Rams a total of 30 times throughout the season, his campaign would be cut short and would make his final appearance for the East Midlands club in a 2-2 draw against Birmingham City. Prior to their away trip to Norwich City, Mascarell would suffer a tendon injury in his foot during training, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.

While not setting the Championship alight, boss McClaren identified the Spanish midfielder as an important player for his side, which proved evident as Derby would go on to win just two of their last 10 league games, missing out on a place in the play-offs as a result.

Mascarell is still playing at the top level

Following his return to Spain, Mascarell would continue his rehabilitation with Real Madrid in preparation for the new season. He would join Sporting Gijon on loan for the campaign, featuring in 28 matches in all competitions and playing a crucial role in the club retaining their top flight status in La Liga.

He would then leave Real Madrid for a permanent switch to Eintracht Frankfurt on a three-year contract, but would suffer a reoccurrence of the tendon injury he first picked up with Derby in his second season in Germany, missing much of the 2017/18 campaign.

However, he would score his first goal for the club in a win over Hamburg and would play the entirety of Die Adler's DFB-Pokal final against Bayern Munich two weeks later, helping them secure a 3-1 victory over the league champions.

Mascarell's buyback clause was activated by Real Madrid for €4 million. He was subsequently sold to Schalke 04 also in the German top division, for €10 million, signing a four-year contract.

For the 2019/20 season, Mascarell was appointed vice-captain of the club after Alexander Nubel decided to leave the club at the end of the season, with now Norwich City head coach, David Wagner, naming him as his successor. However, he was stripped of the armband midway through the season and replaced by Sead Kolasinac.

Mascarell would return to his homeland and feature for Elche on a one-year deal in La Liga, totalling 62 appearances at the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero, suffering relegation last season before returning to La Liga this term with RCD Mallorca, who are currently 14th in the table.

Many Derby fans may not have predicted Mascarell to go on and forge an eight-and-a-half year career playing at the top level purely going from the 30 appearances he made with the Rams. But during his time at Pride Park, those little glimpses of quality have evidently shone through.