Real Madrid pride themselves on being able to identify the world’s best players well before they reach their world-class potential. One of the stories of this 2021/22 Champions League and LaLig-winning season was the way the young talent meshed perfectly with the veterans of the squad, with the youngsters finding their best level when the team needed them the most.
How did each player under the age of 25 do for Real Madrid in 2021/22? Who were the most influential players? Did anyone actually struggle to make an impact?
Here are grades from 1 to 10 (10 being the best, like with match ratings) for each player under the age of 25 who had at least 500 minutes in all competitions last season.
ST Luka Jovic
We begin with the only player on this list of six who will grade poorly. Luka Jovic’s Real Madrid career has been a giant waste of money, his development, and the coaching staff’s time. Los Blancos spent 60 million euros to bring in Jovic from Eintracht Frankfurt, even though he did not fit the playing style of the team. That was evident in many games last season, to the point where Carlo Ancelotti preferred Isco, Eden Hazard, and Gareth Bale as false nines, in addition to picking Mariano Diaz over Jovic. And Real have wanted Mariano out for years!
That said, Jovic was not all bad. He showed his quality and came through in the clutch in the first half of the season during back-to-back LaLiga contests when the title race was still relatively uncertain. With Karim Benzema injured, Jovic scored and assisted in a brilliant second half at the Anoeta, and he came up big in the second half of the subsequent El Derbi.
Funnily enough, one goal and three assists is not a bad return in 561 minutes. Actually, it puts him at fourth on the team in goals and assists per 90, ahead of Marco Asensio.
Rating: 5.0