Marvin Park: From Tranmere Rovers to Real Madrid to dazzling with Las Palmas

Born in Palma de Mallorca to a Nigerian father and a South Korean mother, UD Las Palmas prodigy Marvin Olawale Akinlabi Park has one of the most interesting stories in LALIGA EA SPORTS. Initially unimpressed by the sport of football, back when he was kicking the ball around on the streets of Palma with his brother at a young age, Marvin gradually grew to love the game.

The early years

Marvin joined local club Sporting Ciutat de Palma at the age of six, but his parents decided to move to England three years later. Aged nine, Marvin joined the academy of the then-National League club Tranmere Rovers, where he stayed for three years. The youngster attracted interest from various Premier League powerhouses, but his father was confident that his son would have more chances to pursue a career as a professional footballer if they moved back to Spain.

And that's exactly what the family did, returning to Palma, where Marvin would sign for AD Penya Arrabal in 2014. “He didn't talk at all," Xisca Coll, delegate of AD Penya Arrabal, told El País. “He was super shy. He didn't talk to me or to the kids."

It took LALIGA EA SPORTS clubs no time to spot his talent and Real Madrid were the ones to acquire his services. Los Blancos brought the youngster to the Spanish capital, where he joined the club's Juvenil C side under Álvaro Benito. Marvin initially felt homesick, but his coach and teammates helped him to adapt to his new environment. “He's the fastest player I've ever seen in my life," Benito claimed. “He has the feet of a sprinter."

Standing out at La Fábrica

Marvin worked his way up the ranks into Real Madrid Castilla, while he celebrated UEFA Youth League success under coach Raúl González in 2019/20. The talented winger