The Real Champs
Fansided

Real Madrid: Ranking the top five players in Castilla

By Sai Siddhartha S

NYON, SWITZERLAND - AUGUST 25: Sergio Arribas and Raul Gonzalez Blanco Head coach of Real Madrid pose with the trophy following the UEFA Youth League Final 2019/20 between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF at Colovray Sports Centre on August 25, 2020 in Nyon, Switzerland. (Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
NYON, SWITZERLAND - AUGUST 25: Sergio Arribas and Raul Gonzalez Blanco Head coach of Real Madrid pose with the trophy following the UEFA Youth League Final 2019/20 between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF at Colovray Sports Centre on August 25, 2020 in Nyon, Switzerland. (Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
GRANADA, SPAIN – MAY 13: Miguel Gutierrez of Real Madrid during the La Liga Santander match between Granada v Real Madrid at the Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes on May 13, 2021, in Granada Spain (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)
GRANADA, SPAIN – MAY 13: Miguel Gutierrez of Real Madrid during the La Liga Santander match between Granada v Real Madrid at the Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes on May 13, 2021, in Granada Spain (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images) /

2. Miguel Gutierrez (left-back)

Here’s a player whom Zidane trusted a lot at the age of 17. He called him up for pre-season in 2019 and gave him minutes against Fenerbahce. Here’s a player who trained with the first team for most of the season since May 2020. Here’s a player who was preferred to Marcelo in the closing stages of 2020/21 and made three consecutive starts as a Castilla player. This speaks a lot about the hype Miguel Gutierrez carries, and he did justify the hype with his performances.

Currently, Real Madrid have Ferland Mendy and captain Marcelo as their left-backs, who are kind of opposites in terms of playing style. But Miguel is a two-way fullback blessed with brilliant skills with the ball, speed and intelligence, which definitely makes him a perfect contender for the future.

Real Madrid do have an option to bring back another world-class two-way fullback in Sergio Reguilon, but they might not choose to do so, simply because of Miguel’s presence. Even the Castilla coaches rate Miguel higher than Reguilon, and Miguel’s performances leave you with every reason to believe in him. It might be reasonable to say that Miguel’s assist to Modric against Granada was enough to convince every fan.

With Miguel, it is difficult to point out flaws in his game. Some do point out his defensive side, but from one angle we can say that his offensive flair makes him look like an attacking full-back. Maybe he can work on his physique to become stronger, but apart from that he is a baller and with experience, his defending will improve too.

I saw him as the perfect replacement for Marcelo as the season was coming to an end, but with Marcelo’s continuity at Real Madrid and the presence of Ferland Mendy and David Alaba, Miguel might have to wait another year for a first-team spot. Real Madrid want him to continue with Castilla, but the 19-year-old might look for a loan move.

Miguel comes second here, thanks to the brilliance of the player on the top of the list, but there shouldn’t be any doubts about him and he’s definitely the future of Real Madrid.

Home/Analysis