Real Madrid are in the thick of the La Liga title race, having one last weekend against rivals Barcelona to put themselves just one point behind Atletico Madrid. And they are also in a great position to win Zinedine Zidane’s fourth Champions League title as their manager, as they eliminated Liverpool to advance to the semifinals.
Despite Real’s success this season, not every first-team player has been enjoying their best campaign. There are a few players, young and old alike, who are struggling to find their place or are dealing with an uncertain future.
Here are five Real Madrid players with something to prove before the end of the current season.
RB Alvaro Odriozola
We begin with a right back on the hot seat. Alvaro Odriozola a seldom-used player in Madrid, because, quite simply, Zinedine Zidane does not trust him. And neither do the fans. You only have to go to social media when there is the possibility of an Odriozola start to see how nervous he makes Madridistas.
It’s quite sad, really. Because Odriozola is not a terrible player. If he were so bad, why did Bayern Munich bother acquiring him in the winter of their treble run? (Then again, they did sign Bouna Sarr this summer…)
Odriozola joined Real Madrid with some fanfare, as he was a standout for Real Sociedad. Los Blancos paid 30 million euros for him, but he has not been worth the money. Not even close.
A pacy player but with poor positional awareness, Odriozola has “wing back” written all over him. He’s also very likely to receive a transfer. However, with Dani Carvajal in-and-out with injuries and Lucas Vazquez done for the year, “Odri” still has one last chance to prove his worth.