Atlético de Madrid on Monday announced that winger Arnau Ortiz had signed a first-team contract and inherited Nahuel Molina’s No.16 shirt following the full-back’s departure for AS Roma.
Arnau enjoyed a standout preseason with the first team after he led reserve side Atlético Madrileño to a Primera RFEF promotion play-off semifinal last season. The 24-year-old scored twice and assisted another goal in four friendlies, and the caliber of his performances convinced Diego Simeone and Mateu Alemany to give him his first opportunity to play in LaLiga.
The Arnau news completes a whirlwind year for the Catalonia-born attacker. A native of Figueres (also Salvador Dalí’s hometown), Arnau joined Girona in 2019 and spent a year with its reserve side in 2021/22, but he never played for the first team. He was loaned to Murcia, then Eldense; he didn’t receive his professional debut until Aug. 13, 2023, when he started for Eldense in a Segunda División match against Cartagena. He later joined Cartagena on another loan in 2024 before he left Spain to play for Polish side Śląsk Wrocław. After a year in Poland, where he bounced between Śląsk’s first team in the Ekstraklasa and its reserve side in the fourth tier, he joined Madrileño for the hefty sum of €300,000.
Arnau’s career changed under Fernando Torres’ guidance. He exploded for 23 goals, which led all players in Primera RFEF and prompted Simeone to take a closer look at him this summer. He scored against Getafe and Manchester United before he assisted Carlos Martín’s winning strike against Marseille on Friday. By Monday, he was a first-team player for last season’s Champions League semifinalists.
Arnau turns 25 in October and could not spend another season with Atlético’s reserve team; not only is he too good to play in the third tier, but he’s overaged for the league as well. Reportedly, he received numerous offers from Segunda and Primera sides, but Arnau prioritized staying at Atleti — and Atleti always were open to handing him a first-team opportunity.
Arnau’s story as a late bloomer is not only inspirational, as it embodies the club’s “nunca dejes de creer” (“never stop believing”) motto, but it also demonstrates how the club’s recruitment strategy is changing. Atlético in the past — actually, as recently as last year — would have poured tens of millions of euros into identifying and signing a “squad player” from abroad instead of promoting one from within the academy setup. Alemany has indicated repeatedly that one of his priorities is to grow the cantera, and signing Nicos, Raspadoris or Almadas no longer fits the transfer policy.
Of course, Arnau would have not have received this shot in LaLiga if he wasn’t any good. Fast, direct and strong with both feet, Arnau plays primarily on the left but he can play on either wing. He fills a genuine need in a side that is still light on vertical, 1v1 threats from wide positions.
