- Real Madrid have won both of their pre-season games so far
- Midfield looks absolutely devastating
- Jude Bellingham are Fede Valverde both impressing
It often feels like every single element of the football world is getting amplified more and more, year on year, and one of those elements is pre-season friendlies. There are loads of them, they take place all over the world, and they are often part of a new sponsored tournament.
One team that has not been playing too many friendlies so far in 2023 is Real Madrid. They seem to be choosing to cram them in later in the summer, but they have still managed to get two impressive wins against quality opposition under their belts.
Considering they are entering a season without Karim Benzema, who has not been directly replaced, there is a huge amount of attention on Los Blancos. It is also set to be the last under Carlo Ancelotti ahead of taking over the Brazil national team at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
Here is a look at who has been catching the eye so far for Real Madrid ahead of the new campaign.
Real Madrid’s pre-season schedule
As previously said, Real Madrid has only participated in two preseason matches so far this summer, but there are still plenty left, many of which are against elite opponents. The Spanish team has so far faced AC Milan and Manchester United because they never back down from a battle.
They actually trailed Milan 2-0 at the break, but they came back to win 3-2. Against Man United, they were much more at ease, taking the lead early through Jude Bellingham before clinching the victory late on with a superb overhead kick from Joselu.
|
Date |
Fixture/Result |
Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|
|
July 24, 2023 |
Real Madrid 3-2 AC Milan |
Fede Valverde (2), Vinicius Jr |
|
July 27, 2023 |
Real Madrid 2-0 Manchester United |
Jude Bellingham, Joselu |
|
July 29, 2023 |
Barcelona vs Real Madrid |
N/A |
|
August 3, 2023 |
Juventus vs Real Madrid |
N/A |
Real Madrid’s best pre-season performers so far
Jude Bellingham
The football community is eager to find out if Jude Bellingham can succeed at Real Madrid. In comparison to Borussia Dortmund, it is on a different level, and he is now carrying a heavy burden of expectation along with a high transfer fee.
He seems capable of handling it based on the two friends.
Bellingham is physically strong and agile enough to play a free midfield position for Carlo Ancelott. His brilliant performance against Manchester United, in which he broke through the middle of the field, received the ball with a single touch, and then expertly chipped Andre Onana, demonstrated this. He was the game’s standout performer and appears destined to continue improving at Real Madrid.
Federico Valverde
Federico Valverde is not a particularly fashionable midfielder but he is certainly effective. He showed the many facets of his game against Milan and was crucial to Real Madrid getting their pre-season underway with a victory.
With his team 2-0 down, two long-range strikes from Valverde dragged Ancelotti’s side level. He can offer goals to the team, he is wonderful at tackling, and he can also play in so many different positions. If Real Madrid make the right signings, he could get more time in midfield next season rather than at full-back.
Joselu
To be honest, this pick is largely down to the fact that he had the audacity to score an overhead kick in a pre-season friendly. In a wider sense, Joselu has got a very small window to make a real impression at Real Madrid and that goal shows that he is trying to take it.
He played half of the game against Milan and then came on against Man United. Real Madrid are yet to sign what you would call a Karim Benzema replacement, so Joselu needs to just play as well as he can and hope that Ancelotti is impressed. A perfectly executed overhead kick will certainly do no harm.
