Miguel Gutiérrez: Yet another jewel in La Fábrica’s crown
By: Enzo Karema
La Fábrica has done it again: as if getting to enjoy the genius of Antonio Blanco wasn’t captivating enough, another prodigy has made his mark. Miguel Gutiérrez, at 19 years of age, started his first Real Madrid game on Thursday, putting a smile on innumerable Madridista faces. An insane talent, only those who watched him for the first time were surprised with what they saw — the first team has looked where he belongs for ages now.
The lack of depth in the squad and exaggerated number of injuries this season generated problems my fingers wouldn’t count but was a blessing in disguise for some one must say. Watching that 19/20 season, where Zinedine Zidane did not consider granting an academy player by status a minute, Miguel had all reasons to be concerned he’d not get his chance to live a dream more so as this was his first season with Castilla. However, out of the blue, he got what he desired and didn’t take it for granted.
Adding 90 minutes to his 66 in total with Los Blancos coming off the bench, Miguel, playing with so much tenacity and work ethic, was a burden to Granada. What he provided offensively was equivalent to what he did defensively, meaning he was balanced, and the technical and positional expertise he exhibited was fabulous. Additionally, the team didn’t fear passing him the ball even whilst putting together something promising, as he didn’t put a foot wrong and didn’t look like he would in any instance.
He must’ve been very nervous, but coped with pressure too well and had the bravery to pull off the move of the night, spectacularly assisting Luka Modrić. We got it wrong with Javi Hernández, Sergio Reguilón and Theo Hernández, but with Miguel, we can’t afford to. Given time and placed trust in, I don’t doubt that he could reach the heights of Marcelo by four to five seasons from now, as his talent is as exciting as it gets. For the present and the future, he has to seriously be in Real Madrid’s plans.
