Real Madrid can be a pressure cooker like none other - not even clubs like Bayern Munich nor Manchester United can put as much of a weight of expectations their players.
It's such a burden to wear that Royal White kit that even Cristiano Ronaldo and, most recently, Kylian Mbappe have felt the jeers of the Santiago Bernabeu despite being the best players in the world in their day. So imagine, then, the criticisms that someone who is "just great" can feel when things aren't going well for them in the Spanish capital.
That was the case Aurelien Tchouameni found himself in over the past couple of months. A 2022 signing from Real Madrid tasked with modernizing their defensive midfield role in the wake of Casemiro's decline, Tchouameni showed flashes of brilliance but had trouble earning the full trust of Madridistas in what is an exceptionally difficult position to play, especially for a young and developing footballer in Madrid.
Some Real Madrid fans wanted Aurelien Tchouameni sold
Even after winning the Champions League, Tchouameni failed to convince many supporters, who viewed him as a weak link with more responsibility on his plate as a defensive midfielder in the 2024/25 season without the guiding hand of a retired Toni Kroos. And after Tchou's move to center back proved disastrous with a number of literal game-losing errors, many Madridistas were actually happy to hear transfer rumors that the club was willing to sell the talented Frenchman.
Well like so many great Real Madrid players of the past and present, Tchouameni heard those criticisms loud and clear and reminded Madridistas of not only his quality, but also of the key traits that made Real spent 80 million euros on him from Monaco in the first place: his intelligence, resiliency adapability, and growth mindset.
I know putting all those phrases at once makes me sound like a seasoned LinkedIn shill, but how else should I describe Tchouameni? After hitting rock bottom with a disasterclass against Barcelona in the Supercup, Tchouameni went back to basics in his favored defensive midfield role and considerably upgraded his performances from both his poor displays at center back and also his lukewarm ones even as a 6.
Tchouameni was masterful in the 2-0 win over Girona, completing 95 percent of his passes and thoroughly controlling the pitch. He was sharp defensively, scarcely needing to intervene while cleaning up for others, and he was just about flawless on the ball in his role as Real Madrid controlled the game in a clean sheet.
Then, better yet, Tchouameni upped his level back as a central defender, shutting down a great LaLiga side in the Copa del Rey on the road in Real Sociedad. Without Tchouameni, Real Madrid may not have won on Wednesday night, as he made a couple of goal-saving interventions and did so much more to help Antonio Rudiger off the ball, which, in turn, improved the German's performance.
He had a blip against Real Betis, but generally speaking, Tchouameni has been mostly fantastic in these last couple of weeks, and credit is due.
Tchouameni is a wonderful footballer and only 25 years old. It's easy to forget that these growing pains were to be expected upon his signing, yet he's already shown the upside and the intelligence to grow and become a world-class No. 6. And even at center back, I can think of far worse options in LaLiga, including at least one within Real's own squad.