Real Madrid defender Raúl Asencio and three former teammates from the club's youth teams may face criminal charges for allegedly recording and distributing sexual images of a woman and a minor without their consent.

Asencio is accused of soliciting a video recorded by his former youth division teammates Andrés García, Ferrán Ruiz, and Juan Rodríguez, which depicted a sexual encounter in June 2023 involving his ex-teammates, a woman, and a girl.

Following the completion of its investigation, the Gran Canaria High Court of Justice issued an order on Wednesday to formalize criminal proceedings against the four players, paving the way for the prosecutor's office to file charges and seek a trial.

The judge has found evidence supporting allegations of crimes such as privacy violation, unauthorized distribution of videos to third parties, solicitation of a minor for pornographic purposes, and possession of child pornography.

The four players were arrested in September 2023, and their mobile phones were seized by police. Real Madrid confirmed that they provided evidence regarding the sharing of a private video via WhatsApp.

Police reported that a complaint was filed by the mother of a 16-year-old girl in the Canary Islands about the alleged recording, which occurred without her consent.

In February, the court denied Asencio's appeal to halt the investigation into his alleged involvement. Asencio, aged 22, had appealed the decision to continue probing whether he distributed the video.

Nevertheless, the judge maintained the decision to proceed with the investigation, dismissing the motion for dismissal.

Asencio has been a key player in Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid team this season and started in their match against Mallorca on Wednesday.