Alavés, the burning nail Mariano wants to grab onto: "He's eager to show he has football left in him."

Two thumbs up and a half-smile, wearing the Alavés jersey with the overcast sky of Vitoria in the background. On Monday, Mariano Díaz (Premiá de Mar, 1993) posed this way before the official media of the Babazorro club, who announced that the forward would train with the first team "at his own request," taking advantage of the player's good relationship with the club.

The player hasn't played an official match since March 26, 2025. He played 88 minutes and scored one of the two goals in his Dominican Republic team's victory over Puerto Rico. Since leaving Sevilla, the club that terminated his contract in January 2024, he hasn't played another match in a year and a half, so his fitness remains unknown.

His entourage tells EL MUNDO that "he's doing very well" and that he "wants to show that he has a lot of football left." They assure us that he maintains "the enthusiasm and commitment," qualities he was accused of lacking at previous clubs, especially at the Seville-based club where he played just 319 minutes and from which he left without much fanfare, despite the fact that it was supposed to be the springboard to relaunch his career.

A month ago, he gave an interview in which he explained that, despite being without a team for a year and a half, he was very disciplined and had never stopped training. Therefore, sources close to the team maintain that he is "doing well" physically and is "getting ready to be able to reach 100% in a few weeks."

He will try his luck with Alavés, a team that has assured this newspaper that they have no intention of signing the player. "At the moment, he's only coming to train. He's not on trial," the club said about a striker who, if in good shape, could be a very useful asset for a club that has lost Kike García to Espanyol, one of its best offensive weapons, for next season.

However, to make up for that departure, Joaquín Panichelli , the second-highest scorer in LaLiga Hypermotion and a center forward for Mirandés, the team he played for on loan, has returned to the blue and white team this season. Also returning are Toni Martínez and Asier Villalibre , although neither enjoyed Chacho Coudet 's trust last season.

Mariano could see this Alavés transfer window as an opportunity to stay in European football, having stated that he had received offers from clubs in Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, but that he didn't see them as suitable places for him. Perhaps Vitoria, if given the opportunity, could be the "new" Olympique Lyonnais for the Spanish-Dominican.

His season in the French league with the northern club was the best the forward has had in his career. He scored 21 goals and provided six assists to become one of Ligue 1's best players. It was an oasis between two periods of lesser prominence at Real Madrid.

The challenge of 7

His return to Real Madrid, where he was a youth player and always contributed from the bench, was a bit of a descent into hell for a footballer who even dared to inherit the number 7 from Cristiano Ronaldo , one of his idols, when the Portuguese player left for Juventus. He played just 69 games in five seasons, with 13 goals and five assists, but with just over 2,000 minutes played, which is slightly less than a regular player plays in a single season.

He has exactly one month to try to convince the club's directors and Chacho Coudet , who arrived at Alavés to secure a place in the league, which he secured in the nick of time. The José Luis Compañón Sports City facilities have already seen him wearing the Babazorros jersey since Monday afternoon. Alavés also opens LaLiga on August 16 against Levante in the first game of the 2025/26 season. Will Mariano be in their ranks?