Barcelona legend Thierry Henry was left wowed by Real Madrid youngster Thiago Pitarch in last night's 3-0 thrashing of Manchester City. The Spanish midfielder started at the Santiago Bernabeu and put in a fine display.
Pitarch made his first start in a Champions League game when he was named in Alvaro Arbeloa's team for the City clash. He is a generational talent who is becoming a problem for Eduardo Camavinga amid potentially taking his place in midfield.
Federico Valverde was the star of the show, bagging a stunning first-half hat-trick. But Pitarch's efforts didn't go unnoticed and Henry was full of praise for the Castilla academy product.
Pitarch completed 15 of 16 passes attempted in the opposition's half, found his man with both long ball attempts and covered 11km. It was his running that mostly caught Henry's eye during the sensational victory against City.
Henry covered the game for CBS Sports Golazo and he waxed lyrical about the 18-year-old. He said:
"I want to talk about Thiago. I watched him closely. What a game he had, he was running for everybody."
"I don't know what they put in that jersey... maybe if I put it on it might help me to get my hair back." 😭
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 11, 2026
Titi knows the Real Madrid jersey has some magic 🪄 pic.twitter.com/OsCvbt28W4
Arbeloa deserves acknowledgement for his decision to trust in Pitarch, especially on such an important night. The pair hugged when he came off in the second half, a heartwarming moment for the teenage wonderkid.
It's clear the Spanish youngster is on track to become a regular starter for the rest of the season. A sign of this might be a recent report suggesting the club are willing to listen to offers for Camavinga.
Pitarch made his fifth appearance for Madrid's senior team last night and other than nearly getting caught in possession, he was faultless. He will be eager to continue in the starting lineup when his side face Elche on Saturday (March 14th).
Pitarch on 'dreamy night'
Madrid's win against City has put them in full control of the last 16 tie ahead of the second leg next Tuesday (March 17th). They will make the trip to the Etihad with a 3-0 lead on aggregate and it will take something special for the Premier League giants to stage a comeback.
Pitarch reacted to his side's win and the special night with a post on Instagram. He wrote:
Dreamy night of Champions League in the best stadium in the world and with the best fans, may this not stop. Federico Valverde impresionante."
It was a dreamy night for Madridistas who watched Valverde come up with one of the greatest performances in Champions League history. He is the present for Los Blancos' midfield and Pitarch may well be the future.