5 Real Madrid players with a point to prove this season

By: Amir Elrafie

It’s no secret that a club of Real Madrid’s stature holds high expectations, and rightfully so. For many aspiring football players, ending up at Real Madrid is a goal in and of itself, but succeeding at a club like Real Madrid remains a challenge for many. 

As Real Madrid continues preparations heading into the upcoming campaign, they will have some tough decisions to make regarding the future of many of their players. With Carlo Ancelotti back at the helm, players who have often struggled could use this opportunity with the new manager to start fresh and change their current situation. 

There will undoubtedly be players looking to prove themselves and claim their status at Real Madrid with new beginnings and a new season ahead. 

Here are 5 Real Madrid players with a point to prove in the 2021/22 season:

Eden Hazard 

It’s a well-known fact that Eden Hazard’s time at Real Madrid has been a disaster. Arriving in the summer of 2019, expectations for the Belgian superstar were rightfully high as he proved his caliber during his time with Chelsea. However, Hazard struggled with fitness issues for nearly two years and has failed to deliver when Real Madrid needed him the most. 

A player who looks a shadow of his former self, it’s uncertain if the Belgian has a future at Real Madrid. For a player purchased for a substantially large transfer fee, Los Blancos have yet to reap the rewards of the deal. Furthermore, Hazard holds a large chunk of the wage bill at Real Madrid, and his significance for the team is entirely unrepresentative of his wage. 

This season, there are massive expectations on Hazard to deliver. With both Ancelotti and physical coach Antonio Pintus deviating a plan to bring Hazard back to his best, we’ll have to wait and see how the Belgian will perform this season. If Hazard can get anywhere near double digits in terms of goals and assists this season, that will prove to be a success of its own. 

Marco Asensio

Once touted as Spanish football’s biggest prodigy, Marco Asensio has achieved substantial success during his time at Real Madrid. However, during the last couple of seasons, it hasn’t been going all too well for Asensio. 

For a player once regarded as Real Madrid’s next big thing, the Spaniard’s career has taken a slight decline due to his inconsistent performances and failure to turn up when needed most for Real Madrid. In turn, this has led to a frustrated fanbase who believe that the Spaniard can no longer provide for Real Madrid, and in the 2021/22 season, the midfielder will have a massive point to prove. 

Asensio will be hoping to replicate the form similar to that of the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons in the upcoming campaign. A player that dominated against the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Juventus during this time brought his name into prominence, and now this season could prove to be his final opportunity in the famous white of Madrid. 

Luka Jović

In all fairness, Luka Jović hasn’t had many opportunities at Real Madrid. Jović’s struggles at Real Madrid could partly be down to Zinedine Zidane’s reliance on Karim Benzema as his central striker or due to Zidane’s system never accommodating the Serbian’s style of play. 

However, the blame shouldn’t be placed entirely on Jović for his struggles as he never really had a genuine opportunity to prove himself at Real Madrid. Despite Real Madrid beginning to look for potential suitors to sell the Serbian, this could be the final opportunity for Jović at Real Madrid. He must deliver, and this season could be his for the taking.   

With Ancelotti now in charge, we could hope to see Jović earn much more opportunities under the new manager as he looks to start fresh and prove to Real Madrid that he has what it takes to succeed. 

Marcelo 

There’s certainly no denying that Marcelo will go down in history as a Real Madrid legend. Once regarded as the best in his position, the Brazilian’s unique style and attacking flair carved a trend for offensive full-backs in world football.  

While Marcelo is etching closer to the twilight of his career, he remains motivated to succeed at Real Madrid and could use this season to prove himself once more. After falling down the pecking order to Ferland Mendy and Miguel Gutiérrez, Marcelo would like to achieve that last taste of success at Real Madrid while serving as the star figure. 

Furthermore, with the departure of Sergio Ramos, Marcelo will have the responsibility of holding the captain’s armband. All eyes will undoubtedly be on the Brazilian as he’ll have the pressure of being a leader – both on and off the pitch.   

Isco

It’s uncertain whether or not Isco will be part of Ancelotti’s plans come this season. Despite the Andalusian being highly regarded during Ancelotti’s first stint at Real Madrid, Isco appears to be a much different player than he once was. 

While it doesn’t look all too well for Isco at Real Madrid, Ancelotti could incorporate the midfielder into his plans this season. When looking at it, Ancelotti’s 4-3-3 uses an exterior midfielder, and Isco could fit the bill perfectly if he returns to top form. 

A lack of motivation and drive currently seems to be the Spaniard’s main deterrent, and it’ll take a lot out of Ancelotti to bring him back to prominence. If there’s one manager in football that can revive Isco’s career, then Ancelotti will indeed have his work cut out for him. The Spaniard was a joy to watch in the 2016/17 season, and if he can return to those heights, Real Madrid will reap the rewards.