Real Madrid News
Real Madrid call up 18-year-old Castilla striker for Sevilla clash after Benzema injury
According to MARCA, Real Madrid have included Castilla striker Alvaro Rodriguez in the squad for the match against Sevilla later tonight, following the injury to Karim Benzema.
The 34-year-old Ballon d’Or winner was ruled out of the contest earlier today due to muscle fatigue, leaving Los Blancos an attacker short heading into the crucial match at the Santiago Bernabeu. It must be noted that Mariano Diaz is also sidelined with an injury.
As a replacement, Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly named 18-year-old Alvaro Rodriguez in the squad, with the young striker earning his first-ever senior call-up.
Rodriguez has been with Real Madrid since 2020, having arrived from the Girona FC academy.
The teenage striker, to date, has scored six goals and set up four more in 22 matches for the club’s Castilla outfit, with two of those goals coming in the ongoing season.
Rodriguez signed a new long-term contract with Real Madrid earlier this year after turning 18, committing his future to the Spanish capital club until the summer of 2027.
The Spanish prospect was called up to train with the first-team squad on Friday and the unfortunate situation surrounding Benzema has meant that he is now in contention to make his senior debut for Real Madrid later tonight.
Iker Bravo has usually been the Castilla striker that has been called up by Ancelotti to the first-team setup this season. The ex-Barcelona forward also trained with the senior side on Friday. However, Ancelotti has decided to use Rodriguez instead of him.
With Benzema absent, Rodrygo Goes is all but certain to start through the middle.
It will be interesting to see if the 18-year-old Rodriguez gets any minutes against Sevilla.
The current edition of the Real Madrid squad is full of young talents, who have shown remarkable potential in recent years.
Arda Guler is among the young players looking to make a mark in European football in the years to come.
The young Turk joined Real Madrid earlier this summer, rejecting many other European giants in the process.
Toni Kroos mentoring Guler at Real Madrid
Guler has not enjoyed the best of starts to his life at Santiago Bernabeu, as he is spending a brief time on the sidelines due to an injury.
However, Guler has not stopped working on his characteristics, as he looks to kickstart his Real Madrid career on a positive note.
To that end, the former Fenerbahce starlet is receiving some key support from one of Real Madrid’s midfield pillars in the form of Toni Kroos.
This is according to MARCA, which suggests that the German international is mentoring Guler in his early days at Santiago Bernabeu.
Kroos: huge ‘sponsor’ of Guler
The report highlights how Toni Kroos is a huge admirer of Arda Guler. The German had even heaped praise on the youngster from Turkey when he joined the club earlier in the summer.
Guler, therefore, is closely training with Kroos, whose years of experience, composure, and knowledge of football, could help the youngster grow at Santiago Bernabeu.
This fits in well with Carlo Ancelotti’s vision at Real Madrid, as the Italian boss wants youngsters to have room to grow, especially with guidance from some of the older guards in the team.
It is one of the key reasons Real Madrid wanted to stick to Kroos and Luka Modric, despite bringing in Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham in the summer.
Guler, therefore, has the stage set for him to start his Real Madrid career on a strong note. After impressing in training, the next step for the youngster is to make a promising debut, which is just around the corner.
