Five Real Madrid players who have improved under Zinedine Zidane
By Ben Sundock
Ferland Mendy
Real Madrid fans didn’t think they needed another left back. Marcelo was still playing well, Achraf Hakimi had been and still is a force while on loan with Borussia Dortmund, and Sergio Reguillon had a great campaign before being loaned to Sevilla. So, why bring in Ferland Mendy?
Well, Mendy and his manager have shown the Spanish and French football fans just how good of a player he truly is. Last season was when Mendy burst onto the scene playing in his season season with Lyon in Ligue 1. After spending time with La Harve’s youth academy and the first team in the French lower league, Ferland was stunning in both league and UCL play.
However, no one expected him to dethrone Marcelo as the regular starter at the position in less than half a year, let alone in his first season in Spain. Ferland Mendy has already made 19 appearances for Los Blancos this season with 16 of those as a starter.
While the competition at the position is stiff, I still think Mendy is the guaranteed starter moving forward. His connection with Raphael Varane and whoever is playing left wing is unbelievable and it is clear that Zidane is making the most of that French connection.
Whatever the case, Zizou and Mendy get each other. While he does need to improve a bit on the offensive end of the field, his pace, stamina, and willingness to help on both ends of the pitch make him incredibly valuable.