It was 15 months ago that Borja Valero made the toughest decision of his life.

Albion’s record signing gave up on his childhood dream and left behind his friends and heroes at Real Madrid for an new challenge in Mallorca.

The diminutive midfielder was learning at the feet of the masters – Beckham, Raul, Guti and all – but frustration was building and the chance of first team football was too good to turn down.

A year on his journey brought the 23-year-old to England and the boyhood Real Madrid fanatic insists he has no regrets about quitting his spiritual home.

“It was very difficult for me to move to another place in Spain because I wanted to play in the Real Madrid first team,” admitted Valero, in his first English media interview since joining the Baggies. “But it was very difficult. They had the best players in the world at the time so I decided to move to Mallorca to play and to improve.

“Fabio Capello gave me my first chance to play in the first team but I knew that Capello liked physical players more than how I used to play.

“Mallorca helped me because I spent all of my time around the first team surrounded by very good players.”

However, while Valero may have left Real, Real will never leave Valero. The young midfielder was raised in the Spanish capital and dreamed of playing for Los Blancos.

He worked with Zinedine Zidane, the man who inspired him to play football. He trained alongside Raul and he rubbed shoulders with David Beckham, the most famous footballer on the planet.

“I arrived at Real Madrid when I was 12 years old,” he said, speaking through a translator. “I was there from a very young age and I played in the first team with all the big players and played in the Champions League. That was a dream for me because I always loved Real Madrid.

“I normally used to train with the second team but there were times when I trained with the first team for months.

“At the beginning I learned from Zidane, and when he retired I learned a lot from Beckham. Although people think he is a big star, on the field he is a very simple, normal guy and I learned a lot from him.

A successful season followed at Mallorca, as the island team climbed from relegation danger to establish as reputation as one of the most attractive sides in La Liga.

But the ambition to move to England was burning inside Valero and the Premier League was beginning to notice his talents.

Newcastle and Liverpool showed an interest but it was Tony Mowbray and Albion who met the £4.7m release clause fee.

And, despite the prospect of bruises in England, the 23-year-old jumped at the chance of a move to The Hawthorns.

“The football in England is more physical, but I am fine,” said Valero.

“Teams play hard and it is more physically but I think I have adapted to the team and I am very happy with that.

“We are playing well but now we need the results.”