Real Madrid News
Real Madrid midfielder already thinking about future as a coach – report
At 26 years of age, Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos is still in the prime years of his career as a footballer. But the Spaniard is already starting to make preparations for his future after his playing career is over.
Indeed, as reported by Sergio Santos, Ceballos has his sights set on becoming a coach once he calls time on his career as a footballer. In fact, the Real Madrid star has already begun working on achieving that goal and is close to getting his Level 1 coaching badge soon.
Ceballos has been at Real Madrid since 2017 when he arrived from Real Betis. However, the midfielder has failed to nail down a spot in the starting XI due to the quality of competition at the club.
The midfielder’s current contract at the Bernabeu expires at the end of the season. While it appeared that he could depart in the summer as a free agent, Ceballos has turned his situation around with a string of impressive performances of late.
Real Madrid are ready to offer him a new contract and keep him at the club beyond this season. While his imminent future might appear sorted, the 26-year-old is already thinking of the phase after his playing career and desires to become a coach.
The report states that Ceballos is close to getting his Level 1 badge (equivalent to UEFA B License), which would allow him to train teams up until the Juvenil nacional category.
In recent months, the 26-year-old is said to have given his Level 1 exam while handing in papers that were needed to clear the level. At the same time, he has also been working with Real Madrid youth teams when he has a break from the hectic first-team schedule.
Over the years, Ceballos played under some top managers like Carlo Ancelotti, Zinedine Zidane, Unai Emery, Mikel Arteta, Luis Enrique (Spain), Luis de la Fuente (Spain U-21), and his coaches from his time in Real Betis.
The report states that Arteta, in particular, has had the most impact on the Real Madrid midfielder in terms of his coaching.
It will certainly be interesting to see where this journey takes Ceballos, but there is still plenty of time for that chapter as the midfielder has a lot of years left in him as a footballer.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool monitoring 19-year-old Bundesliga wonderkid – Romano
According to Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool are all monitoring Bayer Leverkusen and Germany wonderkid Florian Wirtz.
After recovering from his ACL injury, the teenage sensation has been slowly working his way back to his best form. So far this term, Wirtz has managed to rack up a tally of two goals and six assists from 13 matches in all competitions.
The 19-year-old’s talent and potential have never been in question and hence it does not come as a surprise that elite clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool are all keeping tabs on the German international.
A versatile attacking midfielder, Wirtz is capable of playing anywhere in the final third of the pitch and backs up with top-notch end product. Be it as a false-nine or in a more withdrawn role, the youngster has excelled for Bayer Leverkusen, catching the attention of top teams.
Real Madrid, for their part, are also understood to be among Wirtz’s admirers. Given the situation surrounding Karim Benzema’s fitness and the lack of backup at the top, the youngster could be an option, as he has shown potential while operating through the middle.
But Barcelona also have a strong interest in the teenager with reports even suggesting that they have already made contact with his father to enquire about his situation.
At the same time, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is understood to be a huge admirer of his fellow German and with Roberto Firmino on his way out, Wirtz could be lined up as a possible replacement.
However, Romano adds that the expectation is that Wirtz could stay at Bayer Leverkusen for one more year and depart Germany once the UEFA Euro 2024 is out of the way.
For now, there have been talks or negotiations with any clubs, but Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool are all tracking Wirtz and his progress in Germany.
