Grading every young Real Madrid player from the 2021/22 season

CM Eduardo Camavinga

Eduardo Camavinga needed to prove himself to Carlo Ancelotti, but by the end of the season, he was Los Blancos’ most important player off the bench. Though really, that was the case throughout the season, because he scored in his debut as a substitute, proving to be the catalyst for a 5-2 win at the Santiago Bernabeu return vs. Celta Vigo. And not long after, Camavinga assisted Rodrygo Goes’ matchwinner in the Champions League at San Siro.

Of course, the 30 million euro signing from Rennes’ best moments came in the Champoins League knockout stages, where he proved decisive at the end of Remontadas against two of the world’s best midfields, Chelse and Manchester City. Despite being a teenager, Camavinga is already a world-class midfielder, having proven this with those displays in the Champions League.

In addition to being clutch and composed in these big matches, Camavinga showed an extremely high football IQ for such a young midfielder by being able to play two distinct positions at a high level. Though not naturally a 6, Camavinga did very well covering for Casemiro in this position. He was not perfect, but his reading of the game defensively was extraordinary, and his ability to quickly turn defense into offense was perfect for Ancelotti’s counterattacking scheme.

With more reps in 2022/23, it is truly scary (for the rest of the world, that is!) to think how good Camavinga can become. As we saw with his stunning strike against Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu, Camavinga has that something special offensively, too.

Rating: 8.0