Ranking Real Madrid’s 3 most important backup players

#1- FEDERICO VALVERDE

Among all players that usually make the Real Madrid bench, Federico Valverde is among a handful who have a future at the Santiago Bernabeu in the longer run, and for that reason, he is the club’s most important backup player. The Uruguayan is not a like-for-like replacement to either of the three midfielders in Casemiro, Luka Modric, or Toni Kroos but is a world-beater nonetheless.

In fairness, Valverde makes the line-up of any team in the world on a regular basis and will be a first-choice at Real Madrid once Luka Modric hangs up his boots in a year or two more. He already has a contract until 2027 and a release clause of 1 billion euros, which was only recently agreed, thereby testifying the club’s faith in him and his desire to succeed in the Spanish capital.

Valverde is incredible when he is starting in the midfield or even on the right flank and is an equally good option to bring off the bench. He brings an unparalleled level of energy to the game and is the epitome of a good box-to-box midfielder, which Los Merengues will definitely need in the Copa del Rey matches when drawing a game is not an option owing to the knockout format.

Eduardo Camavinga is still a work in progress and despite impressing, he has a few key areas to brush up on, whereas Isco is somewhat a redundant option to consider now. Dani Ceballos on the flipside still has not made an appearance this season after recovering from a long-term injury, which means Valverde is the go-to option for Ancelotti to rotate the midfield.