279 La Liga appearances, spells at Real Madrid and Real Sociedad, a cumulative career transfer fee exceeding €48 million, a Champions League and Copa del Rey winner, sharing the pitch with global stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo… This is the resume of Asier Illarramendi, whom Kitchee have brought to Hong Kong this season.
This former Spanish National Team player has become the most high-profile foreign signing in Hong Kong’s local football scene in recent years, offering fans another chance to witness a world-class talent grace the Hong Kong Premier League stage.
The La Liga Years
Hailing from Mutriku, a small town in the Basque Country (Basque: Euskadi) with fewer than 5,000 residents, Illarramendi’s football journey began on the streets. During primary school, he also tried his hand at handball and Basque pelota. At the age of 12, he began training at the Real Sociedad youth academy. After spending nine seasons in their youth system, he was finally promoted to the first team in 2010.
“The academy was in the city. The routine was four days of training and one match per week. My daily life involved taking a taxi to the academy after school for training, and then taking a taxi back home,” he recalled.
“The training was very tough, and I had very little time to spend with friends, but I have no regrets. In Spain, every kid who loves football dreams of becoming a footballer. Moreover, I have been a Real Sociedad fan since I was a child. Being able to join this club was an honor for me, and to this day, I still support Real Sociedad.”
In 2013, Illarramendi made a €32 million move to Real Madrid, becoming the most expensive Spanish player in the club’s history at the time. “It was a difficult decision,” he admitted. “On one hand, I had a deep affection for Real Sociedad. On the other, receiving an invitation from the world’s strongest team is something no footballer can easily refuse. At Real Madrid, you train and compete with a host of world-class stars. You learn so much from them. For example, Cristiano Ronaldo is an incredibly disciplined player, and that’s why he has achieved countless trophies and honors. At the same time, you also have to learn to face and manage all kinds of pressure.”
Having competed for a long time at the highest level of world football, Illarramendi has profound insights into the modern game. When he started his career, Spanish football was conquering the world with Tiki-taka, which later gradually evolved into an era focused on overall team style.
“It’s true, you rarely see a Brazilian player now trying to take on a whole defense solely with his dribbling skills,” he observed. “World football has undergone a transformation over the past decade. Nowadays, coaches often want to control the game. You must cooperate with ten other teammates; you can’t play as an individual. You also need better physical condition to cope with the demands. This style of football indeed makes winning easier, but it also leads some fans to think the game has become less exciting. This is something we all need to think about together.”
After two seasons at Real Madrid, he returned to his boyhood club. Starting in 2018, he even captained Real Sociedad. Unfortunately, this period was plagued by frequent injuries. Ankle and muscle problems forced him into long periods of rehabilitation, causing him to miss many matches.
“I underwent five surgeries,” he revealed. “Those injured periods were very tough, but I always maintained a positive mindset, focusing on self-directed training until my body gradually recovered.”
A New Challenge
After his contract expired in 2023, Illarramendi sought a new challenge outside of Spain, leading him to the MLS where he played for FC Dallas for two seasons. He subsequently remained a free agent until September 2025, when he joined Kitchee in Hong Kong upon the invitation of coach Íñigo Calderón.
“Football is very important to me, but life also needs experiences beyond football,” Illarramendi explained. “I particularly enjoy traveling and immersing myself in new cultures. If not for Calderón’s invitation, I might have gone elsewhere to explore.”
While Illarramendi has represented Spain at the U-17 World Cup in South Korea and visited China with Real Madrid for exhibition matches, Hong Kong was entirely unfamiliar to him.
“My hometown has only 5,000 people, completely different from here. Even Madrid isn’t like this. Hong Kong is full of skyscrapers, a metropolis like New York or London. The streets are clean, and the people are very polite. My wife and I are really enjoying our time here. I sometimes try local dishes and especially like Hong Kong-style chow mein—it’s truly delicious.”
After joining in September, he was not included in the squad for his first three league matches. Illarramendi explained that before coming to Hong Kong, he had only maintained personal training for nine months without practicing with a team. He needed time to adapt to Hong Kong’s weather and regain his fitness and form.
By late November, he had secured a starting position. In December, his spectacular bicycle-kick clearance off the goal line against Eastern Long Lions became a fan favorite moment, and he helped Kitchee achieve an eight-game winning streak in the league.
Despite this, Illarramendi believes the Hong Kong Premier League is not easy to handle. “The weather here can be very hot sometimes, and the climate isn’t easy to adapt to. I like the pitch at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground, but the condition of the grass is different at every other stadium, even at Mong Kok Stadium. This makes it difficult for us to maintain a fast tempo.”
As of the end of January 2026, Illarramendi had made eight appearances for Kitchee. Among these matches, the highest attendance was the December game against Eastern Long Lions, which drew over 2,000 spectators. The January match against Tai Po saw around 1,400 attendees, while most other games attracted only a few hundred fans.
At one point, Illarramendi thought football might not be very popular in Hong Kong. However, he also witnessed a sold-out Hong Kong team match at Kai Tak Sports Park.
“It’s quite sad that local league matches don’t draw more supporters,” he reflected. “In Spain, football is a part of everyone’s life. People go crazy for it every weekend. Perhaps because the level of the Hong Kong league isn’t as high as the Premier League or La Liga, fans aren’t as engaged. But I still enjoy everything about Hong Kong. Even if there aren’t many fans in the stands, they remain very supportive of the team, and I’d especially like to thank them for that.”
“Some young players in the team are very talented, but you don’t see them at training every day because sometimes they have to attend university. This wouldn’t happen overseas. Actually, sometimes coaches want to give young players opportunities, but talent alone isn’t enough. You have to train with focus every day to have a chance at success. Still, I understand their situation, and there’s no need to compare it with Spain—the social context is different everywhere.”
“My advice to young players is: be alert, try to learn from other players. Hong Kong has a population of seven million. If young players start training early, I believe one day a local player could compete in La Liga. However, this won’t happen by luck but through the player’s own hard work and dedication.”
Living in the Present
Stepping onto the highest stage of the football world, Illarramendi’s career peak brought him the Champions League, Club World Cup, and Copa del Rey titles. He has challenged and played alongside some of the planet’s finest footballers. Amidst the glamorous European football scene, he has always maintained a humble lifestyle, with his social media filled with photos of him cycling and hiking around the world.
This season, he arrived in Hong Kong with a footballing resume beyond our imagination, yet in the eyes of his teammates and club staff, he carries no airs of a superstar. He has even been spotted by fans on the MTR. In his spare time, he enjoys casual strolls with his wife in Kowloon, maintaining his curiosity about everything around him.
“Actually, not everyone there (at Real Madrid) lived a luxurious life; I didn’t buy a fancy sports car either. It’s a personal choice. For me, my parents always taught us to stay humble from a young age.”
“The memories of playing in La Liga are beautiful, but I don’t dwell on the past. For me, living in the present is most important. Back then in La Liga, the focus was more on myself. Now, I want to try to experience the different cultures of each place, while of course, still fully immersing myself in matches and training. The immediate goal is to win the league championship for Kitchee.”
Profile
| 姓名 | 阿斯阿 伊拿拉文迪 Asier Illarramendi “Illarra” Andonegi |
| 位置 | DMF |
| 擅長腳 | 右腳 |
| 出生日期 | 1990/3/8 |
| 職業隊 | 皇家蘇斯達B（2008-11） 皇家蘇斯達（2010-13） 皇家馬德里（2013-15） 皇家蘇斯達（2015-23） FC達拉斯（2023-24） 傑志（2025-） |
| 國際A級賽上陣 | 3（ESP，截至2017/11/14） |
| 國際A級賽入球 | 1（ESP，截至2017/11/14） |