Amidst all the worrying about Real Madrid’s men’s team in a summer with three legendary losses, Madridistas can look to Real Madrid Femenino as a reason to be optimistic going into the 2021-2022 season. Because after an incredible first season under the official club name in which they came in second in Primera Iberdrola to qualify for the Champions League, Real are gearing up for an even more exciting encore.
The transfer window has not been wrapped up, as Las Blancas are still expected to add a few more notable names to their ranks. But as it stands right now, Real Madrid have signed seven new players to the women’s team this summer, with those players joining at all levels of the pitch.
No additions are bigger than the triumvirate of Nahikari Garcia, Athenea del Castillo, and Esther Gonzalez. Athenea is one of the best dribblers and one of the most promising young players you’ll find in Europe, Nahikari was a top target of Real Madrid’s for a long time, and Esther led the league in goals last season for Levante.
All three players have a chance to become world-class for Las Blancas in the next few seasons, joining a core of players that already proved they were Champions League-worthy. With the success of signings Misa, Marta Cardona, Kenti Robles, Maite Oroz, Ivana Andres, Olga Carmona, and still more, Real Madrid showed that their recruitment within Spain and Primera Iberdrola is top-notch. And in Kosovare Asllani and Sofia Jakobsson (now gone to Bayern Munich), they have also shown they can attract Galacticas who are established stars at the international level.
Real Madrid’s talented core of players can accelerate their growth
Real’s current crop of players are ascending on the international stage, and many of them will grow with the Spanish national team as they are growing with the opportunities, responsibilities, and facilities available to them in Madrid.
But beyond the talent and opportunity for growth, what should make Madridistas even more excited about this team is the fact that they have a good mix of experienced talent and youth. And by “good mix”, I mean that many of their key players are already among the best at their positions in European football and have room to get even better. The likes of Maite, Misa, and Athenea count as prospects, yet they are already fantastic. Cardona was the team’s best player last season, and she is 26.
Real Madrid are going to be highly competitive next season, both in Primera Iberdrola and the Champions League. Another second-place finish will be the minimum goal for Real in the league, as they look to close the gap on the world’s current most dominant side, FC Barcelona. And in intercontinental competition, Las Blancas have the talent to threaten anyone.
It’s all about the long game, though. In their third season since merging with CD Tacon, Real Madrid have made strides every year and have shown a clear, realistic plan towards building sustainable success. If 2020-2021 was the first step, then 2021-2022 could be the signifier of a grand arrival with a splashy summer and the Champions League to follow.
In five years, we could be talking about Real Madrid as a team on par with the PSGs, Lyons, Barcelonas, Bayerns, and Chelseas of the continent’s premier competition. Now is the time to get on the Las Blancas bandwagon, because this team is both fun to watch and has the potential to win titles, perhaps even sooner than we may think.