Lucas Vazquez has emerged as a key contributor for Real Madrid in the 2020-2021 season, which is the final year of his current deal.
Heading into a must-win Champions League matchup against Borussia Monchengladbach, Real Madrid needed to step up. They had just lost to Shakhtar Donetsk for a second time in the competition, meaning they had to beat Gladbach in order to guarantee entry into the Champions League knockout stages.
Los Blancos delivered. Karim Benzema scored the brace, but Madridistas were most impressed with Lucas Vazquez, who started at right back with Dani Carvajal still out.
Vazquez was majestic. He had one of the assists for Benzema and finished the 2-0 win with a whopping five key passes, according to WhoScored.com. The Galician wide man never stopped running, owning the right flank with great pace and intensity – the latter of the two words being crucial in Real’s turn-around.
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Since then, Vazquez has been instrumental to Real’s success. He has scored two goals with an assist in the last couple of weeks, meaning he and Vinicius Junior are the only Real Madrid wingers with multiple goals in La Liga this season.
Last season, Vazquez was a punching bag for fans, as he would often cost the team with mistakes in the attacking third. He, quite frankly, didn’t look like a Real Madrid player, and there were many fans hoping he’d be sold that following summer to raise funds.
Thank goodness I was wrong about Vazquez, because I was one of the fans who wanted the club to strongly consider sending the near-lifetime Madridista somewhere else.
Vazquez could end up leaving the team anyway at the end of the 2020-2021 season if he does not accept Real’s renewal offers, and then Los Blancos could more forward with Brahim Diaz as his replacement of sorts.
But how many people can really replace what Vazquez brings to the table? The guts, effort, defensive work, versatility, and even crossing will all be tough for Los Blancos to replace. Long-term, Brahim would be an upgrade. In the short-term, though, you have to say that Vazquez would be missed. Look no further than what he’s accomplished in two of Real’s most massive games this season against Barcelona at the Camp Nou and that final fixture vs. Gladbach.
Vazquez is fighting spirit personified. He is easy to underestimate, easier to overlook, and easier still to disrespect. But those of us who laughed at Vazquez and derided his mistakes in 2019-2020 have now come to reckon with our own error. Vazquez, whatever the future holds, is a man deserving of our respect and admiration.