The 2021/22 season came to an end on a very happy note. The players had a good time celebrating the 14th UEFA Champions League title with a win over Liverpool for a second time, the first one being in 2018. Marcelo, Isco, and Gareth Bale chose the best way to end their successful career at the club with three trophies.
The whole team had put up some great displays to win the well-deserved Supercopa de Espana, the 35th LaLiga title, and the 14th UEFA Champions League. It was a collective effort, but I think that these five players have been very key, and the best players of the season for Real Madrid.
5. CB David Alaba
Coming up first is David Alaba. It was his debut season, and what a way to mark that.
David Alaba joined Real Madrid at the start of the season as a free agent signing from Bayern Munich. While many wondered and even questioned the club for signing the Austrian over young talents like Pau Torres and Jules Kounde, it seems like they are all proved wrong.
Real Madrid was right in signing David Alaba. With both the regular starters- Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane leaving the club, it was important to have an experienced defender who can lead the back line. He was given the number 4 which belonged to our former leader, but he managed to keep up with the responsibility that comes with that number.
David Alaba stepped up every time it was necessary and proved his paramount importance to the club. He made Eder Militao a better player and the partnership of the two always bore fruits for Real Madrid.
The fast and versatile Austrian helped in the most crucial stages of the season. His goal-scoring ability is fantastic. Remember his goal in the El Clasico? He scored that out of nowhere!
David Alaba has all the qualities of a fullback. His crossing is awesome, and the way he switches play to the opposite flank with his long balls cannot be undermined. Another reason why David Alaba was suited to Real Madrid is because of his ability to build from the back. When a manager has a player with a vision that is good, he does not need to scratch his head on how to bring creativity to the field.
Coming to the statistics, David Alaba has finished his first season at Real Madrid with a total of 3 goals and 3 assists while averaging 1 tackle, 2.3 clearances, and 0.8 interceptions a game. Being an excellent passer, he completes 92.2% of his passes and averages 1.77 long balls.
To summarise, David Alaba has had a great debut season for Real Madrid and deserves to be in the top 5 best players of the season for the club.
4. CM Luka Modric
Luka, oh Luka. I am out of words to describe this player. The Croatian is a player with such high quality and nothing to stop him, not even his age. Despite being 36 years old, Luka Modric is one of the world’s best midfielders and can still beat a lot of young midfielders when it comes to athleticism.
He had a slow start to the season, but when Toni Kroos returned to fitness after the surgery, we got to witness the Croatian on top of his form. It is just that Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Carlos Casemiro are seen in their best form when they play together. The level of understanding the trio has is just magical.
The reason why I chose Luka Modric is that he is the heart of the team. Real Madrid lacks a certain something when he is not there. A little creativity, a little fluidity, and most of all his way of connecting Dani Carvajal with the rest of the team, the way he helps Carvajal to attack, shoot or put crosses in the box without much fear of a counterattack.
According to WhoScored.com, Luka Modric has scored 3 goals with 12 assists in his name in all competitions for Real Madrid. He averages 1 tackle and 0.9 interceptions a game while completing an average of 90% passes, 3.7 long balls, and 1.25 key passes a game.
His performances may not look good on paper, but he has an intangible effect on the game too. Luka Modric may be getting old, but that does not stop him from playing full 90 minutes every third day. He delivers top results week in and week out without showing any results of fatigue.
What makes Luka Modric one of the most exciting players is his ability on the ball, his pressing, and his exquisite shooting. The way he steps up in big games is what makes him a special player. His outside-the-boot pass to Rodrygo against Chelsea was enough to talk about his quality.
A very successful season for Luka Modric, with 5 UEFA Champions League titles and a contract extension for yet another year. The contract is set to be signed making Luka Modric a Real Madrid player till 2023. He will be hoping to have 2-3 more good seasons, maybe play till 40, and end his successful career at Real Madrid.
3. GK Thibaut Courtois
The Belgium wall deserves to be in the top 3 for what he has done the year. Thibaut Courtois never had a bad game, often made many crucial saves, and as David Alaba said:
🎙| David Alaba: “Courtois has saved our ass many times this season.” @sport1
— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) May 31, 2022
In all competitions, Thibaut Courtois has won 2 Man of the Match awards and conceded 44 goals for Real Madrid. He managed to keep a clean sheet in 22 out of 52 games, including the very crucial match of the season- the UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool.
He pulled off some brilliant saves in that game. The diving saves to deny Mo Salah’s curveball or Sadio Mane in the one-on-one situation. Thibaut Courtois made some similar saves and was thus awarded the Man of the Match award.
Even after being one of the best goalkeepers, the Belgian has never received the recognition he deserves and is often the silent hero in various games. He often steps up when needed the most. If you remember the first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, Thibaut Courtois was the reason Real Madrid only conceded one goal. He pulled off a lot of great saves including saving Lionel Messi’s penalty.
Last season too, Courtois was many times the reason why Real Madrid managed to reach the semi-final in the UCL and gave a nail-biting fight to Atletico Madrid in LaLiga. I hope he finally gets the recognition he deserves from the world.
2. LW Vinicius Jr.
Finally, some good times for Vinicius Jr. Even after getting criticized by everyone for the past 2-3 years, Vinicius Jr. never stopped. He kept going and his hard work finally paid off.
All Vinicius Jr. needed was a little confidence to unleash his inner beast and that is where you expect Carlo Ancelotti to do the job for you.
This has been the breakout season for the young Brazilian and there is nothing to stop him now. At the start of the season, I wrote an article on how his form can help Real Madrid win the LaLiga and make them a serious contender for the UEFA Champions League.
Vinicius Jr. stepped up well and help Karim Benzema a lot while allowing him to get rest and recover from injury in time.
Statistically speaking, Vinicius Jr. has scored 22 goals with 16 assists in all competitions for Real Madrid this season as compared to his 6 goals and 4 assists last season. The Brazilian averages 2.1 key passes and completes 2.6 dribbles a game. The fact that Vinicius has won 10 Man of the Match awards so far tells us a lot about how good he has been this season.
This is just the start and Vinicius Jr. has a whole career ahead of himself at the club. He is the player of the future and will be one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or in the next couple of seasons. This year too, Vinicius Jr. deserves to be in the top 3 or at least the top 5 favourites to win the Ballon d’Or.
1. CF Karim Benzema
By far the best player of the season. Not just for Real Madrid, but for the best footballer in the world. All these years, Karim Benzema has been working harder and harder to become the best striker in the world.
After remaining under the shadows of Cristiano Ronaldo for almost a decade, Karim Benzema stepped up and emerged out of the Portuguese’s shadows with his departure to the Italian side- Juventus.
Since then, Karim Benzema has carried the team on his back through thick and thin. Aging like a fine wine, Karim Benzema has improved each year and finally earned the well-deserved call-up from the French team.
The Frenchman is living his prime years which is evident by his numbers in the past few seasons. In 2018-19, Karim Benzema scored 25 goals with 8 assists in 44 games. In 2019-20, he scored 26 goals with 10 assists in 45 games, and in 2020-21, he scored 29 goals with 9 assists in 44 games.
This season too has been fantastic for him. With this being the breakout season for Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema has received a lot of help and has managed to score 44 goals with 14 assists in 46 games for Real Madrid in all competitions.
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After all these years of hard work, the Frenchman has emerged as the leader of the club and will be the first-choice captain with Marcelo’s departure. With a Supercopa de Espana, a LaLiga title, and a UEFA Champions League cup in his name, Karim Benzema is in the driver’s seat to win the famous Ballon D’or. After missing out in the top 3 favourites for the award last season, he was fully focused to win it this year and he deserves every bit of it.