Dani Ceballos to break through for Real Madrid
Dani Ceballos aims to cement his place for Real Madrid and the Spanish National Team in 2018-19
The new Spain coach, Luis Enrique, when asked about the debut performance of his player for the senior Spain team, replied: “He did what I have seen him do countless times for the U-21 side” The player in question was Dani Ceballos and the game in question was Spain’s 6-0 thumping of Croatian in the new UEFA Nations League. That is saying a lot because among those performances, was Ceballos winning player of the tournament award at Euro-21 in 2017 in Poland. He led by pulling the strings from the midfield in a Spanish run to the final.
Enrique is right in saying that. Ceballos was unfazed, playing his maiden senior international against a Croatian side who had just made it all the way to the World Cup Final while also boasting the worlds best midfielder. Not many players can make such a jump and often see games pass them by.
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He didn’t let the occasion or the opposition get to him. Not only did he seek the ball, he demanded it often, played quick passing moves with his teammates in midfield and was rarely caught on the ball. In that way, he is unlike the previous generation of Spanish midfielders, who were more intent on keeping possession and controlling the game. He is a part of a young exciting breed who likes to play direct football and take chances.
This quality makes him very suitable for the new Spanish manager, Enrique who prefers a slightly direct style to that of the possession-based sequences of his predecessors.
Ceballos had a tough 2017/18
He was in line for his debut earlier, but due to a lack of minutes at the club level last season, he wasn’t picked for the senior international side. Ceballos himself admitted that 2017-18 was a “lost season” for him under Zidane at the club. He was the brightest young player in the league the year prior at Betis. But his first season after his move to Real Madrid from the Andalusian side saw him get very little times as he played in an already crowded position with arguably the best midfield partnership in Modric and Kroos as undisputed starters and Kovacic ahead of him in the pecking order.
Ceballos looked sharp even at that time, when called upon, famously scoring twice in a 2-1 defeat of Alavaes early in the season. But, that performance didn’t lead to more starts in the league. There was also the case when he was brought on as a substitute against Leganes and only played 30 seconds. It seemed like a point of no return for him under Zidane. But that experience only seems to have toughened him up.
With Kovacic now loaned to Chelsea, Ceballos is certain to get more playing time. He started two of the four games for Los Blancos this season so far. Lopetegui seems to like him and more importantly, trust him. He even looked the sharpest players on the pitch in the 1-1 draw at Bilbao this past weekend.
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It is a pivotal season for Ceballos for both club and country, both under new management. With the current structure at Real Madrid having a focus on young Spanish talents, there’s a real chance he can make his make and get ahead in the pecking order once Kovacic returns next season. Real Madrid had to stave off attempts of Barcelona and other top clubs and swoop in to sign him from Betis. The club believes in him and with a new manager now believing in him too, they should start gettings dividend.
With David Silva and Iniesta retiring from Spanish duty and Modric not getting any younger at Madrid, this may very well be the season of Ceballos and both teams won’t have to look any further than to the man who pulled the string that Tuesday night in Elche.