By Graham Ruthven
In Actual Madrid’s star-studded ahead line, there was an anomaly on the 2025 Membership World Cup. In the identical workforce as Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and the remainder, Gonzalo García has been Xabi Alonso’s beginning centre ahead this summer season, scoring two targets within the three video games he has performed on the match.
García will nearly definitely lose his place within the Actual Madrid lineup when Kylian Mbappé is accessible once more. The French striker was hospitalised with acute gastroenteritis and has but to play on the Membership World Cup, however is again in coaching and will even make his return to motion towards Juventus in Tuesday’s final 16 tie.
This, nonetheless, shouldn’t boring the affect García has made. His introduction to the Actual Madrid first workforce has been a part of Alonso’s mission assertion because the membership’s new supervisor. Whereas the previous Bayer Leverkusen boss has been employed to mould Los Blancos’ present assortment of Galacticos, he clearly needs to additionally set up a pathway from the academy.
Enjoying beneath Raúl, García set a goalscoring document for Actual Madrid Castilla final season, registering 25 targets within the Spanish third tier. The younger ahead was subsequently on the radar of many supporters, however few anticipated him to play such a outstanding position so quickly in Alonso’s managerial tenure.
Alonso himself has drawn the comparability between García and the legendary Raúl, the best homegrown ahead in Actual Madrid’s historical past. There are similarities in the best way they discover area contained in the field with García demonstrating his pure ending instincts with well-taken targets towards Al-Hilal and Salzburg.
“I had no doubts about Gonzalo,” stated Alonso when requested about bringing García into the workforce. “What he’s doing isn’t a shock. He’s carried out it many instances at Castilla. At the least for him. He’s the everyday quantity 9, who is aware of methods to watch for his alternative, who strikes nicely. I’m very completely satisfied for him. He has Raúl qualities in his actions.”
To have a look at, García isn’t essentially the most imposing of centre forwards. He stands at 5ft 11”. He isn’t significantly quick, neither is he clearly sturdy. And but the 21-year-old is clever in his motion and clearly has an eye fixed for aim. He’s deceptively good within the air and may even play on the wing, as he did as soon as Actual Madrid went right down to 10 males towards Pachuca.
Actual Madrid wanted somebody like García. That they had lacked an orthodox quantity 9 since letting Joselu go away the membership on the finish of the 2023/24 season. Whereas Joselu definitely wasn’t the largest identify in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad, he got here up with numerous large targets and moments as somebody who gave Los Blancos a unique dimension up entrance.
García may not be the standard focus that Joselu was, however the teenager might carry out an vital secondary position in the same method. Alonso has no alternative however to construct round Mbappé, Vinícius and Bellingham. In García, although, he has somebody hungry to show himself and grateful for any alternative to take action.
Regardless of García’s constructive impression on the Membership World Cup, there’s hypothesis Actual Madrid might let him go away this summer season. Leeds United have been talked about as potential suitors of the younger striker following their promotion to the Premier League with Sunderland additionally believed to be admirers. García would enhance both aspect.
Actual Madrid are firstly of a transition that began with the arrival of Alonso, however is an extended, great distance from being full. Alonso has used a again 4 and a again three on the Membership World Cup. He has arrange his midfield unit in a diamond and likewise in a 4 unfold throughout the pitch from left to proper.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been pushed inside to kind a part of a field midfield as a deep-lying pace-setter. He has additionally been used as a excessive and extensive proper wing again. Actual Madrid have sat off opponents. Additionally they tried to press them excessive, though after years of enjoying beneath Ancelotti they aren’t as cohesive out of possession as Alonso would absolutely probably them to be.
The Actual Madrid workforce that’s presently enjoying on the Membership World Cup might look very totally different to the one which begins the 2025/26 season. It should definitely shift and alter over the course of the marketing campaign itself as Alonso will get to grips with what he has inherited from Ancelotti and the earlier regime.
On this shifting panorama, García should proceed to work arduous to earn a spot in Alonso’s imaginative and prescient. Mbappé’s return will supply the 21-year-old a clearer concept of what Actual Madrid need and want him to be. Minutes may now be tougher to return by, however Alonso has already proven religion within the teenager. He embodies the change taking place on the Santiago Bernabéu.
(Cowl picture from IMAGO)
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