Real Madrid: The 5 biggest surprises of the 2020-2021 season

Before the Euros begin, it’s time to take one last look at the eventful 2020-2021 season that was for Real Madrid. Although Los Blancos didn’t win any titles, they came awfully close in LaLiga and made it to the semifinals of the Champions League despite having a squad with serious question marks and a whole lot of injuries.

There were plenty of pleasant surprises in the past season, too. Let’s take a look at some of those, as well as a not-so-pleasant surprise from the 2020-2021 campaign.

Lucas Vazquez excels at right back

There may have been no bigger “breakout” star last season than Lucas Vazquez, even though he is an experienced player who has been at Real Madrid for years.

After a poor 2019-2020 campaign, many Madridistas were asking serious questions about Vazquez’s future with just one year left on his contract. But by the end of the 2020-2021 season, they were lamenting what could have been if Vazquez never suffered a season-ending injury in El Clasico after assisting in a brilliant first half,

Vazquez was immense this past season at right back and solid on the right wing. He primarily played in the former position due to Dani Carvajal’s recurring injuries, and he was arguably the best player at the position in the league.

Without him, Real Madrid would not have won must-win matches against Barcelona twice, Borussia Monchengladbach, and even Atletico Madrid in the first half of the season. He was tremendous and showed a new side to his game this past year. Hence why he fully earned a three-year extension.