3 Real Madrid players who showed they are not finished yet

“Finished player” is one of the many phrases uttered by the uneducated reply guys of Twitter dot com, and there were a number of Real Madrid players who were accused of being “finished” by such luminaries of the online world.

However, there were also players on Los Blancos criticized as being over-the-hill or liabilities to the team this season by hardcore Madridistas. By people who might actually know what they are talking about. And yes, even by yours truly.

Here are three Real Madrid players who showed they are not “finished” yet and made many of us eat a serving of humble pie, particularly in the second leg win over Manchester City.

RB Dani Carvajal

We begin with Dani Carvajal, who seemed to be done at the highest level after both Kylian Mbappe and Ferran Torres roasted him in quick succession. Getting beat by Mbappe with no help – Marco Asensio might be the worst defensive winger in Europe – is nothing to be ashamed of. Getting toasted by Ferran? It’s hard to call yourself a top player when that happens.

Carvajal had some great performances this season, but he also had enough lousy ones to make Madridistas concerned. In general, right back was seen as an immediate need in light of Carvajal’s struggles and the fact that his only backup, Lucas Vazquez, isn’t a real right back.

But after that rough patch, Carvajal stepped up, big-time. Aside from a couple of nervy moments against Manchester City in the first leg, Carvajal started to improve significantly again, and he was tremendous in the second leg. Real Madrid would not have made it out without him, though his contributions went underrated.

By standing out at the highest level of competition, Carvajal showed he is not totally washed yet. He is injury-prone and is not the same player he was a few years ago, but he is still a quality right back in spite of some of his flaws.