Real Madrid Player Ratings for January as Vinicius Jr., Luka Modric stand out in tricky month

Real Madrid resumed action in the New Year with a defeat at hands of Getafe and ended with yet another lower half side, Elche almost pulling off another major upset. The month also featured some commanding performances against the likes of Valencia and Athletic Club and a nail-biting Clasico in the Spanish Supercup, which also became Real Madrid’s first trophy of the season.

I previously listed out a few stars and flops from an eventful first month of 2022. However, I thought there were a lot of players like Fede Valverde, Eden Hazard, Eder Militao, and Rodrygo Goes among others who missed out on that list narrowly.  Hence, doing full player ratings for January and giving their due credit to these players was only fair.

Here are the full player ratings from a tricky and challenging January.

GK Thibaut Courtois

The Belgian Wall for Real Madrid, Thibaut Courtois was at his A-game this month. He also found some respite from back-to-back shifts because of Andriy Lunin who stepped up in the Copa del Rey matches. Courtois made good use of his rest and put his best foot forward when called into action, the penalty save in the final of the Supercopa is the best example.

Courtois let six goals past him in the five games he played in the month. But, he cannot be blamed for those goals. He also saved a penalty in the game against Valencia where Real Madrid deserved a clean sheet victory. Too bad, the bats hopped onto the rebound to score a consolation goal.

Rating: 7.5

GK Andriy Lunin

Andriy Lunin got two opportunities and he made the most of them. Especially in the game against the third division side, Alcoyano, his goal was attacked relentlessly. He had to make several saves including a few long shots driven low at the Ukrainian shot-stopper. He retained his spot in the starting XI for the next Cup game against Elche where he was called into action twice in the first half and he got the better of Elche’s Guido Carrillo both times.

Lunin only needs to improve his footwork. Otherwise, he looks to be a solid keeper whenever he is forced into a save or making claims in the air. He looks like an exciting prospect for the future.

Rating: 7.0