Real Madrid: Dani Ceballos continues his amazing play at the U-21 European Championship

Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos has been a integral part of the Spanish U-21 European Championship team through the group stage. The Real Betis academy player has guided Los Rojos to the top of Group A and has proven what he can do when he receives regular playing time.

After a bit of a slow start in the opening match of the U-21 Euros in Italy, the young Spanish team which features three Real Madrid players has won its last two and has managed to top Group A which features the hosts, Italy, Belgium, and Italy.

Through these first three matches, one thing has been made very clear: Dani Ceballos and new West Ham United signing Pablo Fornals are clearly the two best players on the field.

Fornals, Ceballos, and Fabian have linked up perfectly in the midfield under manager Luis de la Fuente who has his team hitting their stride heading into the knockout round.

Ceballos put on a clinic against a lackluster Poland team on Saturday night as the Spanish squad racked up five goals and managed to keep a clean sheet thanks to good defensive play from Real Madrid’s Jesús Vallejo (who has surprisingly not gotten hurt in three consecutive starts).

The Betis academy player had the most touches of any player who featured in the match – 140 – and completed nearly 92 percent of his passes – 102 for 111. Dani wasn’t done there as he also completed seven out of eight dribbles, made five key passes, won three out of six tackles, and had a goal and an assist.

Dani Ceballos has been sporting the captain’s armband for the Spanish national team through this tournament and again showed why his managed has so much faith in him. The number 24 for Real Madrid now has two goals and two assists through just the group stage.

After watching Ceballos glide through the midfield making every movement look effortless, it is hard to believe the young player has made under 20 starts in two seasons with Los Blancos. Yes, the competition is drastically different in the U-21 Euros from that of the club level, but these numbers are no fluke.

Both of the goals he has managed to score – a stunning curler against Italy in the opener and a brilliant free kick last night against Poland – were both world class efforts that Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane should take into account when choosing his players and formation this fall.

The competition is incredible at Real Madrid with Ceballos looking for a starting spot over the likes of Isco, Toni Kroos, and Luka Modric, however, that doesn’t mean he should be relegated to a bench warmer for the majority of a season.

His tireless work rate and his ability to create chances for himself and his teammates make him an indispensable asset at the club.

AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Tottenham Hotspur are all lining up just looking for a chance to sign the promising midfielder, but Los Blancos should be wary of selling him on after just two seasons. He clearly has the potential to be a star in the midfield if he is given enough playing time under the right manager.

Zizou is the right manager, he just needs to trust Ceballos a bit more than he does right now. A loan deal could be in the cards for this coming season, but selling him to another club where he will play a solid amount would be a big mistake at this point.

Spain will be back in action on Thursday night, however, they will have to wait and see who their opponent will be.

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