LB – Miguel Gutierrez
Honestly, this was an easy pick for me. Real Madrid’s academy is known for producing quality full-backs and players like Dani Carvajal, Alvaro Arbeloa, Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Reguilon are the best examples. The latest Castilla sensation of that position is Miguel Gutierrez, who has already made a name for himself after some incredible performances with the first team. There are a lot of reasons to believe that Miguel can become a special player.
Ferland Mendy might be our current left-back, and he’s still 26. He might be 36 in 2032, and I don’t see him being a starter as a left-back until then. Miguel has to show some patience to wait for his chance, but I believe that there might come a time in the next 3-4 years, where Miguel might overtake Mendy in the pecking order and become the club’s starting left-back. His attacking game is too good for a second-choice player, and given his versatility, I also think he will find one way or the other to get a lot of minutes until he becomes a starter.
RB – Federico Valverde (Captain)
Fede is a midfielder now, but I think there will come a time in the future when he will be converted into a right-back, and there are some reasons behind my pick.
Firstly, I don’t think Carvajal can continue to play at the level he had shown in 2016/17 and 2019/20 for many more years. Fitness issues have already plagued his career, and he might not be a starter anymore after 3-4 years. It’s difficult to get the best full-backs for cheap these days, because a lot of clubs have realised the value of having the best full-backs, and their prices have gone up by a huge margin. Clubs are looking to trust their academy products more, like Chelsea and Liverpool.
Real Madrid doesn’t have such a generational right-back in their academy at the moment. But they have a player like Fede Valverde, who can be a great right-back. Valverde has shown us that he can do well as a right-back, with his most notable performance being the 2nd leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Liverpool in April 2021. And he’s suited more to a wide role, given his pace, strength, and work rate. There is Alejandro Jimenez in Juvenil-B who’s looking very promising, but by the time he matures, I guess Fede might make the right-back position his own.
This pick might look like a crazy one, but I think managers will start looking at Fede as a wide player more in the coming years.
And yes, he would be the captain, because he will be the seniormost player after 10 years, as per my lineup.