Three Real Madrid players with a limitless ceiling
By Ben Sundock
Real Madrid has had the luxury of a core group of players who have been regulars in the squad for years. Unlike, many clubs, Real Madrid has had the likes of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Dani Carvajal, and Karim Benzema regularly starting for the last eight years.
However, a changing of the guards is on the not-so-distant horizon.
Modric is 36 and will more than likely hang up his boots in the summer of 2023. The Big Benz just turned 34 in December, Kroos is 32, and Casemiro is 29.
While it may be tough to see these club legends nearing the end of their playing career, Real Madrid has meticulously planned and prepared for when these names decide it is time to move on.
Los Blancos are lucky to have a plethora of young players among the ranks who can step in to fill the void left by some of these legends.
Vinicius Junior
I’m sure it comes as little surprise seeing the prolific Brazilian winger first on the list.
What Vini has accomplished so far this season has already outdone everything he did in the previous three years with the club! His 12 league goals are more than he scored in 82 appearances and over 3,000 minutes between 2018 and the spring of ’21.
Watching the winger after his move from Flamengo, it was clear from the offset that he had all the fundamentals and skill needed to be an elite winger, the only problem was his decision-making in the final third.
He would panic with the ball at his feet in the box and often failed to even hit the target. Working with a sports psychologist and forming a telepathic connection with Benzema in the middle, Vini Jr. is figuring everything out.
Some of Vini’s incredible facts and figures from this season:
- 65 successful dribbles (highest in La Liga).
- One of four players under 23 to score 10+ goals and provide 5+ assists.
- One of four players to have 30+ tackles, dribbles completed, and chances created.
- Ranks in the 90th percentile in progressive carries, dribbles completed, touches in the attacking penalty area, and progressive passes received.
His scintillating form, combined with that of Benzema, is giving Madridistas hope that Vinicius Junior could one day be compared to the likes of Neymar and perhaps a future Real Madrid player, Kylian Mbappe.
The jump we have seen in the span of four months from Vini indicates to me that he is just starting to crack the code in Spain, meaning we haven’t seen the best from this young man yet!