Illia Voloshyn has been called into Real Madrid’s squad for the Clásico after Thibaut Courtois was ruled out, giving the 2007-born Ukrainian goalkeeper his clearest first-team break yet. The move puts him on the travel list with the squad and into the frame for one of the club’s biggest matches.
The call-up matters because Voloshyn is not a name that arrived overnight. He is from Samar, Ucrania, left Dnipro in the spring of 2022 during the war, and rebuilt his life in Alicante after being separated from his mother. He settled in Novelda, kept playing football there, went on to Rayo Majadahonda and then earned a trial that brought him into Real Madrid’s academy.
He has moved quickly since then. Real Madrid signed him after that trial, he advanced through the youth categories to Juvenil A, and in April he won the UEFA Youth League in Lausanne. At 2.02 meters, he has the size that already draws attention, and he was cited by Mourinho for a preseason match against Schalke after that youth-title run.
What is not yet clear is how far this step goes. A squad call-up ahead of the Clásico means he is in the matchday picture, but it does not say whether he will do anything more than sit on the bench. That uncertainty is part of the story: the promotion is real, but the minutes are not promised.
His path recalls Lunin’s route into Real Madrid’s goalkeeping setup, and that comparison gives the call-up extra weight. For Voloshyn, the next step is simple to describe even if it is hard to earn: travel with the team to Gelsenkirchen, stay ready, and wait to see whether the Clásico becomes his first real stage with the senior squad.
