Real Madrid: Ranking the top 5 players of 2020-21 after 30 matches

4. DM Casemiro

Casemiro is the best defensive midfielder in the world. At first, Madridistas were a bit worried that Case had accrued too much fatigue from his brilliant 2019-2020 campaign, as he worked nonstop for his team and did not get a full offseason of rest. But in the last few months, Casemiro has put to bed those worries with some truly inspirational displays.

Take, for example, his night against Liverpool last week. According to WhoScored.com, the world-class midfielder had eight tackles and one interception. And in El Clasico, he had four tackles and five interceptions before being sent off for two yellow cards in just a few minutes of each other. It was his first red card!

Casemiro has even come up big offensively. He is still second on the team in goals in La Liga with five, and he assisted Karim Benzema in the final minutes of a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid. That point could prove to be vital by the end of the season, considering how close the top of the table is right now.

It’s been a joy to watch Casemiro go to work, producing crunching tackles and providing a goal-scoring aerial threat on Toni Kroos set pieces. Casemiro is averaging 2.7 tackles per game and 2.3 interceptions per game in the league, making him one of the most devastating defensive presences in European football for another year running.