Real Madrid: 3 first-team players who are not even close to reaching their ceiling

Real Madrid have been led by an “old guard” of world-class players this season. Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos, Casemiro, and others have been at the top of their games for the past couple of seasons. They were vital in Real’s La Liga title triumph last season, and they will be essential to Zinedine Zidane capturing another trophy in 2020-2021.

But there is a crop of up-and-coming talent in Madrid who will redefine the next decade of this club’s greatness. These players are already effective enough to be in the first team despite their youth, but they have not yet come close to scratching the surface on their true ceiling.

Let’s take a look at three young players who have a world of potential and whom Madridistas should continue to be excited to see develop in the coming seasons.

CB Eder Militao

We begin with center back Eder Militao, who put in a real shift on Tuesday night at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano against Liverpool. Per WhoScored.com, he had one tackle and three interceptions just days after recording four interceptions in a 2-0 win over Eibar.

Militao has plenty of Champions League experience. His excellent performances with FC Porto in the 2018-2019 campaign helped convince Real Madrid to spend 50 million euros on him during the busy summer 2019 transfer window. And although there have bafflingly been rumors linking him away from the club, the reality is that he’s proven he’s worth keeping around in Madrid for the long haul.

Aside from his big performance against Liverpool this week, he impressed late last season in a must-win match at San Mames against Athletic Bilbao. Even in last year’s disappointing Champions League campaign for Los Merengues as a whole, he was the lone bright spot defensively in a dreary second-leg loss to Manchester City at the Etihad.

The composed 23-year-old center back is several years away from his peak, but he’s already a starting-caliber center back for Real Madrid. That may seem like a bold claim, but if he gets a few more starts in big spots, he’ll surely have more Madridistas on the bandwagon.