Following Real Madrid’s failure to win any major trophies last season, the club decided to part ways with Carlo Ancelotti and appointed Xabi Alonso as his replacement.
The Italian coach left Los Blancos as the most decorated manager in the club’s history, having delivered the highest number of silverwares which include three Champions League trophies and two LaLiga titles among others.
While Ancelotti’s tactics may not have been spot on last season, resulting in subpar performances from much of the squad, there are still a few positives to take from the campaign.
These include Mbappe winning the Golden Boot and Raul Asencio announcing himself to the world by becoming a regular in the Real Madrid starting XI.
Here is a list of the five best performers for Real Madrid under Ancelotti last season.
Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe had a rather slow start to the season but quickly regained his form in the second half. He went on to become Real Madrid’s top scorer for the season and subsequently won the Golden Boot for having the highest number of goal involvements across Europe.
He finished the campaign with 43 goals across all competitions.
The French forward’s best performance came in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League playoff matchup against Manchester City, where he scored an incredible hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabeu. He has undoutedbly been the best player of Real Madrid this season.
Jude Bellingham
The English midfielder once again proved why he is considered one of the best in his position. Following the departure of Toni Kroos, Bellingham was given a much deeper role than in the previous season by Ancelotti.
He was more involved in defence, but at the same time, he frequently stepped up to grab the ball in the opponent’s penalty area at crucial moments.
Bellingham featured in as many as 53 matches, scoring 14 goals and providing as many number of assists for Los Blancos in the last campaign.
Federico Valverde
Valverde was shifted to operate in the right-back position for the majority of the matches this season due to Dani Carvajal's injury and Lucas Vazquez’s poor performances in that role. However, Valverde played like Valverde- ever dependable and solid. He performed well in most of the games and looked far more comfortable in the position than one would have expected.
Meanwhile, in the matches where he played in his natural position, he performed at a high level in those as well.
Raul Asencio
Following injuries to Eder Militao and David Alaba, Ancelotti was forced to take a chance with Asencio. Long story short, the youngster hasn’t looked back ever since. He has delivered one incredible performance after another and has cemented his place in the starting XI.
With Dean Huijsen's arrival, the Spanish defensive duo could go on to become key figures at Real Madrid for years to come.
Vinicius Junior
I know this selection might come as a surprise to many, but please hear me out. It’s true that Vinicius was nowhere near the level he showed in the 2023–24 campaign, but to be honest, almost none of the players performed to their full potential this season.
Despite that, he still managed to finish the season as Real Madrid’s second-highest scorer with 21 goals, while also contributing 18 assists.