Brighton boy Niall Mason was hailed as a seven-year-old Galactico when he joined Real Madrid.

He made the unique move from Hove Rivervale to the giants of the Spanish capital after impressing at a coaching school.

Now the 19-year-old Aston Villa defender is looking to impress against Sussex opponents as his Doncaster side take on Crawley Town in League Two.

Mason is eyeing a Premier League career, 12 years after that headline-making move to Madrid which was splashed across two pages of The Argus.

The son of former Horsham manager and Lewes director of football Russell Mason is on loan from Villa for a year to gain experience of league football.

But he already has a wealth of life and sporting experience behind him, starting with the time he left home in Varndean and found himself at the same club as David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Carlos and two other English signings they made that summer, Michael Owen and Jonathan Woodgate.

Mason only stayed with Madrid for three years and admits having to leave for Qatar, where his dad moved for business reasons, set him back.

The Argus:

Flashback: Niall Mason with his family at Gatwick Airport as they set off on their Madrid adventure in 2004

But since then he has skippered Blackburn under-16s, been offered a three-year deal at Southampton and made a big impression on Tim Sherwood, the boss who took him to Villa.

“When I look back at signing for Real Madrid at that age, I think it’s quite funny – a bit outrageous,” he told The Argus.

“But all the experiences have helped me grow up a bit. They have also helped me football-wise.

“It is good to have had different influences and I’m quite mature as a player.”

Indications from sources in the West Midlands are that Villa see him as one for the future, despite recent changes at the club.

He said: “When I came to Villa I had a lot of first-team involvement with Tim Sherwood. He quite liked me.

“Last season I went away with them for pre-season and I got on the bench in the Premier League.

“But this is a good chance to get out on loan, get some football and not waste any time.”

Mason was spotted by Madrid at a summer football camp in Spain where his dad was coaching.

He shook hands with Beckham when he signed and it is tempting to wonder what might have happened had he been able to see it through.

Mason senior, who works in event management, coached for Atletico and Getafe for a while but, as the work dried up, he had to move on to Qatar.

He said: “At that time, coaching in this country was not so good at that age. At Madrid, they got the ball down and did technical work, which was great for Niall.

“The whole experience was fantastic. Going to games at the Bernabeu, being around a major club. He has always been a mature lad so he could handle it and he could really enjoy his football.

“Having to leave set him back. But I basically ran out of money in Spain.

“He went back and forth to Madrid for a while but the club were not comfortable with that. He has been through a hell of a lot to be where he is.”

Niall went to boarding school in Clitheroe when the chance came to join the youth set-up at Premier League outfit Blackburn Rovers.

He moved on to Southampton but took the brave move of turning down a new contract because they saw him as a right-back rather than centre-back or holding midfielder.

All of which brings him face to face with what for dad used to be the local rivals – Crawley.

Young Niall was too young to go to games when Russell managed Horsham but, as a toddler, he would chase balls around at Lewes and at County League outfit Redhill, where dad also had a stint.

“I think what you will see from us is an attack-minded team,” he told Reds fans wondering what Doncaster will have to offer. “We like to keep possession and we are a high-pressing team.”