Real Madrid sent a bevy of players out on loan during the 2020-2021 season. From Castilla prospects to more experienced players like Dani Ceballos, Los Blancos made use of several loans to help give individuals some valuable minutes that they would not have obtained with the first team. Some of these loans worked out well, while a few of them did not quite work out.
Let’s take a look back at nine prominent loan deals during the past season and grade how they shook out. The grades, on a scale of 1-10 like match ratings, will be based on a combination of individual performances, expectations, and the fit with the club they were sent to.
Granada CB Jesus Vallejo
We begin with Jesus Vallejo, whose future with Real Madrid looks cloudy. Vallejo could be asked to return to the first team if Real cannot obtain enough depth at center back, as Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane could be on the way out. That would leave Los Blancos with just Eder Militao, Nacho Fernandez, and the versatile David Alaba with Victor Chust and Pablo Ramon as the notable Castilla men.
Vallejo’s reputation has fallen since a strong 2016-2017 campaign with Eintracht Frankfurt and a few good appearances for Real Madrid the following season. He had another nondescript year at Granada in 2020-2021 after spending half of the 2019-2020 season on loan there, as his earlier loan to Wolves was pretty much a disaster.
Rating: 4.0
Arsenal CM Dani Ceballos
Whereas Madridistas had no real expectations for Jesus Vallejo at Granada this season, they had some hopes for Dani Ceballos at Arsenal. Although he struggled to gain a foothold in the XI for much of the 2019-2020 season, Ceballos played a key role that summer for the Gunners under Mikel Arteta. There was a belief that if the former Real Betis man turned up well in 2020-2021, he could earn a permanent move to North London.
That move won’t be happening. Ceballos is back at Real after taking a huge step back in the 2020-2021 season. He made more headlines for his poor decision-making than he did for his play on the pitch, and he frustrated Arsenal fans much more this season for taking too long on the ball.
A better fit for a LaLiga side, Ceballos is a candidate to move back to Real Betis if Los Verdiblancos can fork over the money. Otherwise, he will be another reclamation project for Carlo Ancelotti.
Rating: 4.5
Villarreal/Getafe AM Takefusa Kubo
Takefusa Kubo actually played for two teams in the 2020-2021 season. Real Madrid first sent him on loan to Villarreal, and Madridistas were hopeful that the Japanese international would blossom under Unai Emery, who seemed to have big plans for the young man who shined at Mallorca the season before in LaLiga.
Instead, Kubo barely played, grew frustrated, and was allowed to leave on a new loan to Getafe and Jose Bordalas. Getafe were terrible and Kubo also came off the bench more than he started, though he did at least feature more frequently.
Kubo’s only memorable moment was a goal to save Getafe from relegation. He didn’t fit Getafe’s playing style and didn’t get to shine. Real Madrid must now think of a new loan for Kubo next season, though I’m sure they are encouraged by his excellent play in the Europa League group stages while with the Yellow Submarine.
Rating: 5.0
Arsenal AM Martin Odegaard
Martin Odegaard was the best player Real Madrid sent on loan, as they were essentially forced to loan him in the winter when Odegaard made it clear he wanted more playing time. Los Blancos could not guarantee him minutes with Zinedine Zidane fighting for LaLiga and the Champions League and the likes of Luka Modric playing at the highest level.
While Odegaard had some great moments for Arsenal and very much looked like their best player at times, he only had nine starts compared to five appearances off the bench. It was never going to be easy for Odegaard to adjust to a new team during a half-season loan, especially a team struggling to play anything resembling fluid football in the Premier League.
Odegaard played well and had a few marquee performances, including one particularly brilliant match against West Ham. But at the end of the day, you wonder if he could have helped himself and Real more by staying.
Rating: 6.5
Dortmund AM Reinier Jesus
Through no fault of his own, Reinier Jesus is going to get the worst grade of any Real Madrid loanee for the 2020-2021 season. Los Blancos probably thought Borussia Dortmund were going to give Reinier a fighting chance to play, given they showed plenty of faith in Achraf Hakimi, even during a first season on loan in which he cost the Black and Yellows points with defensive errors.
Reinier, however, accrued a meager 245 minutes in the Bundesliga and 18 minutes in the Champions League. He scored and assisted in league play despite the lack of minutes, so there was some potential there.
All we know is that Reinier is too talented to fall to the same fate in 2021-2022. Hakimi broke out in his second year, and maybe the same holds for Reinier in the Bundesliga next season. Real will likely stay patient with Reinier’s loan to BVB. Let’s hope the patience pays off for both Los Merengues and the promising Brazilian.
Rating: 3.0
Tottenham RW Gareth Bale
I honestly did not see Gareth Bale’s loan move materializing this successfully, but proper credit must go to the man himself. Bale seemed especially motivated in the second half of the season. Jose Mourinho wanted to work with Bale at Spurs, yet he did not seem to give the Welshman many chances to start the season.
Once Bale started to get opportunities, he built momentum by doing what he does best. And that’s finishing off chances. Bale showed a ruthlessness in front of goal that was totally missing from him in 2019-2020 at Real Madrid, and he looked especially motivated as the calendar ticked down closer to the Euros. We all know how much he loves playing for his country!
Bale scored three goals and an assist in Europa League play with an additional 11 goals and two assists in the Premier League. Sure, most of those goals were against “bad” teams, but we can’t forget Bale’s important brace off the bench in the win on the last matchday over Leicester City.
He showed signs of life at Spurs, and maybe that bodes well for him if Real Madrid have to welcome him back. Carlo Ancelotti at manager should help in that regard.
Rating: 7.0
Milan RW Brahim Diaz
Another right winger who had a positive 2020-2021 season with another club, Brahim Diaz could also figure into the solution for Real Madrid. But whereas Brahim is also the subject of transfer rumors, Madridistas would much rather prefer Los Blancos not entertain any sort of offer or even buy-out clause from the Rossoneri.
Real did a good job of avoiding any of that last summer when negotiating with Milan. Brahim is a promising, hard-working, two-footed winger who is capable of producing moments of magic. He scored a couple of very good goals for Real during his brief action with their first team, and he had some big moments with Milan, including a worldie against Juventus in a vital 3-0 win near the end of the season.
Brahim had seven goals and three assists between Serie A and the Europa League despite not being a regular starter. He’s ready to take another big step forward in 2021-2022.
Rating: 7.0
Eintracht Frankfurt ST Luka Jovic
As with Martin Odegaard, Luka Jovic received a loan deal away from Real Madrid in the winter transfer window after it became clear that he would not get many minutes. It’s not that Zinedine Zidane hated him. Not at all. That’s all weird fan speculation. The reality is that Karim Benzema was never going to be on the bench due to his importance, while Zizou could not appreciably change the system and still get good results with mounting pressure on him and the players.
So Jovic returned to Eintracht Frankfurt. His first game was like a dream, as he scored two goals off the bench against FC Schalke 04. But those were goals against a shambolic side that has literally been the worst team in Europe’s top five over the last season-and-a-half and the laughingstock of German football. Jovic then scored again two games later off the bench against Arminia Bielefeld, who are also on the below-average side.
Therefore, his only goal against a strong Bundesliga side came against Wolfsburg, who had a rare off night defensively in a 4-3 loss to the Eagles. With 10 bench appearances compared to 8 starts, Jovic could barely crack the lineup due to Andre Silva’s incredible performances. It was a mediocre loan spell for Jovic, all told, and his future will be determined by the quality of transfer offers Real Madrid receive.
Rating: 5.5
Roma ST Borja Mayoral
Our final loanee is Borja Mayoral, who was also by far the best Real Madrid loanee of the 2020-2021 season. And Zinedine Zidane saw it coming all the way, considering he wanted to keep Mayoral over Luka Jovic.
Mayoral was decent last season for Levante, but he truly broke out this season for the Giallorossi with 17 goals and 4 assists between Serie A and the Europa League. The 24-year-old took perfectly to life in Italy’s capital, lighting up Serie A with ruthless efficiency in front of goal.
Roma will hold onto Mayoral for another season on loan before deciding whether or not to buy him permanently. His future between Real Madrid and Roma will therefore be hard to predict, because who knows how Jose Mourinho will use or value him? But after such a good 2020-2021 campaign in Italy, we can’t help but give Mayoral the benefit of the doubt.
Rating: 8.0