5 Real Madrid players who will struggle for game-time in 2024/25

5. Dani Ceballos

Surely the upcoming season will be better for Dani Ceballos than the previous. The Spaniard who was signed from Real Betis was simply an after-thought for Carlo Ancelotti in the last campaign. He started just 5 Liga matches last season. At this stage of his career and ageing at 25 years old, Ceballos would have certainly hoped for better.

Admittedly, the Toni Kroos retirement does allow for more game-time for Ceballos. However, given that Carlo Ancelotti has toyed with the idea of dropping Jude Bellingham deeper (which makes sense, given the recent attacking reinforcements), it could mean further torment for Dani Ceballos.

Ceballos should definitely stay at Real Madrid since he provides a lot to the club from a depth capacity. However, in terms of minutes in the first-team, it is hard to envision a fruitful season next time out for the Spaniard.