Over the past decade, Real Madrid have been able to reestablish themselves as the most successful club in world football, and they’ve done so thanks in large part to a proliferation of midfield talent.
Back when they ended a 12-year drought for their much-coveted La Décima title, Los Blancos boasted a midfield core of Luka Modrić, Ángel Di María, Isco, and Xabi Alonso, and even when Alonso was suspended for the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League Final, Carlo Ancelotti was still able to count on a soon-to-be World Cup champion in Sami Khedira to hold his own in the center of the pitch. Real were able to dominate proceedings and conquer three straight Champions League titles thanks to a world-class midfield fulcrum of Toni Kroos, Modrić and Casemiro, before adding another one in 2022. And even when Casemiro departed for Manchester United, even after suffering a crop of long-term injuries, Real managed to deliver an epic 2023/24 season which saw them win the league title and the UEFA Champions League title.
Fast-forward 1.5 years, and it’s evident that this midfield quality is preciously lacking. This decline started immediately after the 2024 final against Borussia Dortmund, when Kroos opted to call it quits on a legendary playing career. Instead of adding a new central midfielder to the squad, Real signed two players – both center forwards – with Kylian Mbappé and Endrick arriving. This proved to be a catalyst for a dismal campaign, which saw Real fail to win a single major trophy, and which saw Ancelotti shown the door. Alonso, having established himself as one of the game’s top young managers at Bayer Leverkusen, looked to be a perfect candidate for Real’s vacancy.
“Real is a completely different context to any other club; it’s a very special club with massive dimensions,” stated Athletic Club manager Rui Duarte. “Alonso came with the context of winning the Bundesliga title against the likes of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund anddoing a great job in Germany, but he didn’t have the same pressure. At Real Madrid, you have to win every day and manage so many different stars…it’s difficult when you don’t win. I think he’s a good coach with a great playing history, and with lot of qualities and knowledge to improve Real Madrid, but he also needs the time and confidence of the President and Board, and the players to be able to implement his ideas and perform his role.”
Despite kicking off the 2025/26 season with seven straight victories (13 wins from their first 14), Real soon fell into trouble in November with draws at Girona, Elche and Rayo Vallecano and a defeat at Liverpool, followed by defeats to Celta de Vigo and Manchester City. Just when it seemed that Real had bought Alonso some time with five wins in a row, they faced off against Barcelona in the Supercopa de España Final. From the offset, Real sought to drop deep and soak up the pressure, allowing Barcelona’s midfield trio of Pedri, Fermín López and Frenkie de Jong to dominate the flow and eventually grab the lead. While Real managed to equalize twice before the break, Raphinha’s 73rd-minute goal would see the Blaugranas prevail with their fourth-straight domestic trophy.
It proved to be the last straw for Real Madrid, who decided to give Alonso his marching orders and bring in Álvaro Arbeloa. The retired Spanish fullback didn’t fare much better in his opening match in charge, losing 3-2 to second-tier Albacete in the Copa del Rey. If Real are to avoid their first trophyless season since 2020/21, they’ll need to either win the league (currently four points behind Barcelona) or win the Champions League (currently seventh, six points behind league leaders Arsenal). The odds aren’t exactly in their favor, but if they are to have a chance of winning either competition, they’ll need their midfield to start improving immediately.
Jude Bellingham took European football by storm in 2023/24 after enjoying one of the greatest rookie seasons in Real Madrid history, helping to fill Karim Benzema’s goal-scoring shoes and leading Los Blancos to domestic and international glory. However, he has struggled to adjust to a deeper, less involved role in the final third since Mbappé’s arrival, often cutting a frustrated figure under Alonso. As for Federico Valverde, he has failed to handle the additional creative responsibility following the departures of Kroos in 2024 and Modrić in 2025. After years of consistently building his profile as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in football, Valverde has looked a shadow of himself this season, both on and off the ball.
Having arrived as one of the most talented prospects in world football, Eduardo Camavinga has shown little signs of progress since making the move from Rennes to Real. His lack of development and underwhelming footballing IQ has been mirrored by that of compatriot Aurélien Tchouaméni, who, after joining as one of the hottest commodities in the game, has failed to take the leap to a world-class level. He hasn’t been able to provide that necessary link between defense, midfield and attack, he hasn’t been able to break the lines and conduct the flow of possession – he hasn’t displayed that he can be Real’s next top midfield orchestrator.
If there’s one way to describe Real’s midfield core, it’s unlocked potential. Bellingham and Valverde have both proven that they can be game-changers at the highest level, Dani Ceballos and Camavinga have shown glimpses of their undeniably inconsistent quality, whilst other young stars like Arda Güler and Franco Mastantuono have proven their worth on various occasions. Even Tchouaméni, who has left plenty to be desired in recent weeks, he’s still only just entering his prime at nearly 26 years of age.
“Tchouaméni is very complete; when I see him, I see a bit of Paul Pogba, who is my favorite player. The way he plays football, the way he’s coping with the pressure at Real Madrid, is good,” stated ex-Ligue 1 midfielder Ricardo Faty. “He delivered a good World Cup performance in Qatar. For me, he’s one of the leaders of the team, even if he can be discreet sometimes, even if people don’t really talk about him a lot. But now it’s his turn to be decisive like he was in 2022. France has this heritage of strong midfielders like Pogba, and before him, N’Golo Kanté, Patrick Vieira, Didier Deschamps and Jean Tigana…and Tchouaméni could be among those players. He’s not one of my favorites, but I like him a lot.”
For the first time in quite a while, Real Madrid currently don’t have a single player who you can point to as being among the best midfielders in the game. They don’t have a creative influence like Pedri, or Vitinha, or Joshua Kimmich, or João Neves. They don’t have a way of exploiting the opposition from the center of the pitch. It begs the question – is it time for Real Madrid to splash the cash on a new midfielder?
