Real Madrid: What is the dream midfield trio for the next decade?

Toni Kroos, Casemiro, and Luka Modric are still three of the world’s best midfielders, but what does the future hold for Real Madrid in the middle of the park?

When Real Madrid won three straight Champions League titles, they did so with the world’s most prolific goal-scorer and recognizable superstar in Cristiano Ronaldo. But the bedrock of the team, the beating heart of Real Madrid, lay in the midfield.

Toni Kroos was the metronomic passer. Luka Modric, the do-everything ball-carrier who almost seemed to have an endless supply of energy and even more bountiful technical gifts. And Casemiro was the glue holding it all together as the intelligent, industrious defensive midfielder.

All three of those players are still important to Real Madrid and played invaluable roles in the club’s 34th La Liga triumph in 2019-2020. But as Real build an attack for the future with Luka Jovic, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, and Marco Asensio as some of the pieces, they are also planning an entirely new midfield.

Eduardo Camavinga is Real’s top transfer target. Signing the 17-year-old would change the entire midfield profoundly, as there simply isn’t a more promising prospect in world football. In his first season with Rennes, Camavinga recorded 4.2 tackles per game and 1.4 interceptions per game. He’s so good that he may even be a priority for Real Madrid over Kylian Mbappe in 2021.

Fede Valverde was Real Madrid’s breakout star last season

But while Camavinga is another player’s team and wanted by PSG just as much as Real, Los Blancos have a few young players who can be future stars in their midfield.

Fede Valverde was the breakout star for Los Blancos in 2019-2020, even if his play slipped a little bit at the end of the season. In the team’s biggest games of the year against the likes of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, Fede stood out with Man of the Match performances. His defensive work rate, ball recoveries, and grace on the ball make him a future superstar in the middle of the pitch. Valverde’s breakout season is the reason why the club deprioritized pursuing Paul Pogba.

There is one more player to watch for 2020-2021. Martin Odegaard was one of La Liga’s best players in 2019-2020 while on loan at Real Sociedad, unlocking defenses with his passes as an attacking midfielder. But Odegaard is versatile. He can play as a right midfielder in a three-man midfield, as his pressing, ball-carrying, and composure make him suited for the role.

Modric has at least one more year of top-level football left in him, if not a couple of more. Casemiro and Kroos are still in their primes. But in five years, all of them will need to make way for the next generation of starters at the Santiago Bernabeu. Football could evolve to a new favored formation, but, for now, we can expect Real Madrid to continue to rely on the 4-3-3 in the coming decade.

Martin Odegaard, Fede Valverde are sure-fire starters for Real Madrid

Odegaard and Valverde are almost sure-fire starters over the next decade. They are here, they love the club, and they are ready to become among the world’s best after already establishing themselves as among the best in La Liga last season.

But what of the final spot? If Real Madrid want a defensive midfielder, Valverde is not the one for that role. If we’re being honest, Camavinga can play in that spot, but, like Valverde, he is more of a dynamic midfielder. As we’ve seen to start the 2020-2021 Ligue 1 campaign, Camavinga has serious attacking upside.

Real Madrid should do everything they can to sign Camavinga. Instead of getting in our heads about who is ideal at what spot in the pitch, we need to think about a midfield as a cohesive, moving unit and not a static three-pronged diagram on a screen.

Dani Ceballos cannot be ignored either, as he’s still young and has shown at Arsenal that he has the all-around qualities and leadership to be a great rotational player at Real Madrid. But as impressive as he is, Ceballos is not on the level of Valverde or Camavinga in terms of upside.

Antonio Blanco as Real Madrid’s alternative to Eduardo Camavinga?

But what if Real cannot sign Camavinga? He could be too costly, or he could go to PSG instead. Real seem like the clear favorites to sign Camavinga in 2021, and he is a priority for manager Zinedine Zidane.

All is not lost if Camavinga cannot join Valverde and Odegaard as Real’s next great midfield trident. Youngster Antonio Blanco showed in the youth UEFA Champions League that he is ready for the big-time, and he could already be the backup defensive midfielder for Casemiro in 2020-2021. Blanco can fill that role and could be an excellent complement to Valverde and Odegaard.

Already, Los Blancos have two top-class youngsters in midfield with very different skill-sets in Odegaard and Valverde. They are just looking for that final long-term piece to the puzzle. Blanco and Camavinga can both be a part of the picture together if Real can secure Camavinga’s signature in the 2021 market.

Judging by Camavinga’s play for Rennes thus far, he can legitimately become the best midfielder on the planet in a few years. So if Real Madrid, with their goals of being the best team in the world each year, want to have the best midfield, Camavinga is a nearly essential target.