Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid confirm their four club captains for the 2023/24 season
Following the shock departure of Karim Benzema earlier this summer, Real Madrid were set for a change in captaincy heading into the new season.
While it was common knowledge that academy ace Nacho Fernandez would be succeeding the Frenchman, Los Blancos have officially confirmed that the Spaniard indeed will be the first captain of the team for the upcoming season.
Nacho’s future was also a doubt not very long ago, given that his contract was about to expire on June 30. However, after much deliberation the veteran defender opted to renew for one more season, prolonging his stay at the Santiago Bernabeu.
And he will now go into the new campaign as the captain of the team.
Luka Modric, who signed a new contract with Real Madrid until 2024, will be the second captain of the team for the 2023/24 season.
Following Nacho and Modric in the order of the captaincy for Los Blancos will be another veteran star in Dani Carvajal. A club man much like Nacho, the Spanish right-back will be the third skipper with Toni Kroos occupying the fourth slot in the pecking order.
🤍 ¡La capitanía del Real Madrid está en buenas manos!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) June 28, 2023
©️ @nachofi1990
©️ @lukamodric10
©️ @DaniCarvajal92
©️ @ToniKroos #RealFootball pic.twitter.com/6ckpUCUzRz
While Real Madrid may have anointed four captains, they have several leaders across the pitch, starting from Thibaut Courtois, to David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger. Federico Valverde is also tipped to become a future skipper given his importance and commitment to the club.
Jude Bellingham’s impact at Real Madrid this season is simply undeniable. However, what is even more fascinating is that if the Los Blancos had not signed him this summer, the team from the Spanish capital would have accumulated eight fewer points this season, reports AS.
The former Birmingham City and Borussia Dortmund midfielder has been in the thick of things ever since the first game of the season, which was a 2-0 win over Athletic Club away from home.
Since his opening day heroics, the England international has found the net six times in as many appearances across all competitions.
Too many draws without Bellingham
The 20-year-old midfielder has scored late winners in as many as three games for Madrid this season. In fact, among the matches Madrid have played this season, it was the opening game, against Athletic Club, that his goal was not decisive.
In that game, Rodrygo initiated the scoring, while the English international sealed the victory. It was a 0-2 triumph, which would still have been a win even without his contribution.
However, his impact was undeniable in the other encounters, such as the matches against Almeria (1-3, where he netted a brace and assisted Vinicius Jr’s goal), Celta (0-1), Getafe (1-0), and Union (1-0).
Where would Madrid be without him?
Once you do the math, that’s five goals scored in four games which transformed four draws into victories.
If it weren’t for Bellingham’s goals, Madrid’s League points would be six fewer, and their Champions League tally would be reduced by two, totaling eight points across all competitions. Although these are speculative scenarios, their credibility solidifies when examining the statistics.
As a result, Real Madrid have started with a flawless record of 18 points out of a possible 18 across all competitions.
We don’t really need to solidify the importance of last-minute goals in football, but if there was an award for it, Bellingham would be a worthy winner, to say the least.
