Real Madrid are a year away from pursuing Kylian Mbappe and cannot make any major signings this summer. Going all-in with the youth is necessary.
They called it a “Revolution” for a reason. There is a youth movement slowly taking place in Real Madrid, and it will take patience from Zinedine Zidane and the fanbase in order to yield the best results.
Real have a great nucleus of veteran talent in place. Sergio Ramos remains one of the most impactful players in European football, as evidenced by Real’s performance against Manchester City without him. Karim Benzema was the MVP of La Liga this past season. Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal, Thibaut Courtois, Raphael Varane and Casemiro are among the best players at their positions. Eden Hazard is a superstar when he’s 100 percent healthy.
But while Real Madrid have plenty of stars they can look to in the present on defense and in the middle of the park, Benzema is the only true goal-scorer in the attack. Hazard can provide 10 goals in a season when he’s healthy, but, unfortunately, Los Blancos cannot guarantee his health.
This summer, Real won’t bring in any reinforcements like they did in 2019 when they signed Hazard, Luka Jovic, and Rodrygo Goes to boost the attack. So next season, they must show great faith in their young players, even moreso than in 2019-2020.
Real Madrid must give Luka Jovic real opportunities
Take Jovic, for example. He was one of the best strikers in Europe in 2018-2019, lighting up the Bundesliga and Europa League with his goals. If you actually watch the games, he played well in 2019-2020 when he was on the pitch for Real Madrid. But he was barely on the pitch, mostly making brief cameo appearances off the bench. In total, he played a mere 422 minutes in La Liga, averaging fewer than 25 minutes per match.
Real Madrid need to show more trust in him before even considering selling him for less than the 60 million euros they spent. They need to see what they have in Jovic before they consider spending even more money to sign Erling Haaland in two years, even if Haaland is the more talented player.
But there are two players they must trust above everyone else, Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior.
Rodrygo and Vinicius can be among the top five players in the world. Their ceilings are limitless, and what they are accomplishing as teenagers at the world’s biggest club is remarkable. Vini has been the best player on the pitch in a Clasico and the game-changing substitute in El Derbi. He has shined in the Champions League and been untouchable at times in La Liga.
Rodrygo Goes, Vinicius Junior can excel for Real Madrid
The scary thing is that Rodrygo may be even better. In his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu, Rodrygo scored the second-fastest debut goal in club history. He scored a perfect hat-trick in the Champions League. And he had the team’s lone moment of quality in an embarrassing Champions League exit at Manchester City.
Real Madrid need to give Rodrygo and Vinicius every chance to excel in 2020-2021, in addition to giving Jovic actual opportunities in the XI. Kylian Mbappe awaits in 2021, but even his signature is no guarantee despite the fanbase’s unbridled optimism and “he’s our loanee” jokes. Mbappe is a PSG player, and he may stay a PSG player if they win the Champions League.
But Vinicius, Rodrygo, and Jovic are Real Madrid players who can be major stars for the club. In 2020-2021, Real need to find a way to stop relying on Karim Benzema so much. It’s time to take this lack of transfer activity in 2020 as an opportunity to develop and show faith in young forwards who have the tools to be great creators and scorers for years to come. It’s time for the next phase in the “Revolution” at the Bernabeu.