Real Madrid’s Mariano Diaz project has epically failed
By Ben Sundock
When Real Madrid sprung to sign striker Mariano Diaz shortly before the transfer deadline in August, fans were excited to see the up and coming forward return to the Spanish capital after impressing with Olympique Lyonnais. He has not lived up to expectations at all and has been maybe the most disappointing player in the Madrid squad this season.
Let’s begin by looking back at what Mariano Diaz was able to do in France as a regular starter with Lyon.
Last season, the 25-year-old scored 18 goals in Ligue 1 play and two in the Europa League. Making 43 appearances in these two competitions and registering 20 goals and five assists, it is shocking to see how far Mariano has fallen this season since returning to Madrid.
Returning to the capital amidst extraordinary buzz about his potential and the depth he would provide, with recent news I can whole heartedly say that bringing Mariano back has been a downright failure.
After playing for just 11 minutes in the 2-1 loss to Valencia over two weeks ago, Mariano has suffered yet another injury setback that will force him to at least miss the match against Athletic Bilbao this weekend. It could also keep him out through the mid-week match against Getafe on April 25th.
The reports state the forward is suffering from tendinitis in his right thigh. My first reaction to seeing this news was, “how can he get tendinitis when he doesn’t play in matches?”
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Looking through game logs, I noticed that Mariano Diaz has started two matches all season. Yes, you read that correctly. Two.
He has scored just two goals in 17 appearances and has played just 421 minutes. To make matters worse, Mariano has not played more than 20 minutes in a La Liga or Champions League match since October 20th when he played the full 90 against Levante.
Injuries, illness, and managerial stubbornness have derailed all the momentum the Spanish international gained while playing in France. To go from starting nearly every match and helping Lyon to a third place finish – to now barely making the Real Madrid bench is truly a travesty.
Even though Karim Benzema is in the midst of one his best seasons with Los Blancos, Mariano has been cast aside like he has nothing to bring to the table. I thought he was great during the La Liga winning campaign under Zinedine Zidane back in 2016/2017 despite being the third choice striker.
Apparently the coaching staff has forgotten what he is capable of and have decided to not play him or even put him on the bench most matches.
Next. Real Madrid: Zidane hints that Marcos Llorente could go on loan next year. dark
As to whether or not Mariano Diaz will stay through the summer is anyone’s guess. I would assume that he will since Zidane has publicly said that he doesn’t want to pursue a big name striker during the offseason.
This year’s ‘project Mariano Diaz’ has epically failed, but there is always next season. Right?