Real Madrid: 3 young players who will be crucial in title race

Real Madrid will need these young players to help lead the way for the rest of the season.

Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos, Raphael Varane, Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, Marcelo, and Casemiro have been a title-winning core for Real Madrid over the years, but in the first year of the “Revolution” under returning manager Zinedine Zidane, the focus is on the youth movement.

Many of those experienced players, with Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard thrown in as new superstars, are key parts of the Los Blancos’ title push. But there are also young players who will need to play at a high level for the remainder of the season. Here are three of them.

CB Eder Militao

There is a lot of player associated with donning the White kit, and that becomes magnified at the center back position. The way Real Madrid push up the pitch and search for goals can leave the team vulnerable to counters, and while Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane make it look easy, playing center back for Real is the toughest gig in the business.

They are constantly making interventions, scanning the attackers, and outsmarting their runs. One small slip can be catastrophic, because Madridistas accept nothing less than a clean sheet; they want thoroughly professional performances.

Ramos and Varane have been playing at an elite level since the restart and haven’t missed a game, but Ramos’ knee knock against Real Sociedad provided an example of how quickly things can change. Militao is a talented 22-year-old who has put in some world-class displays in his first season with Los Blancos, and he’ll need to keep being near-perfect for Real, especially if he’s called into action down the stretch of the season. Spoiler: He will be.