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Real Madrid star Joselu Mato dubbed Lucas Vazquez as 'Peter Crouch' after he helped the La Liga giants record a 1-0 win over Deportivo Alaves on Thursday, December 21.
Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid locked horns against Alaves at Mendizorroza Stadium. However, after Nacho Fernandes was shown a red card in the 54th minute, Los Blancos were down to ten men.
Even after 90 minutes, the scores were leveled as both sides failed to find the back of the net. Lucas Vazquez gave Real Madrid the much-needed breakthrough in the added minutes (90+2') via a header on a delivery provided by Toni Kroos. Carlo Ancelotti's side won their last game of the year 1-0.
After the game, Vazquez took to Instagram and uploaded a post celebrating the victory. He captioned the post:
"Can't see a better way to kick off the year!"
Vazquez's Real Madrid teammates, including Antonio Rudiger, Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham, Toni Kroos, Rodrygo Goes, Luka Modric, and Federico Valverde, came up with unique reactions to the post.
However, among all the comments, Joselu Mato's reaction stood out as he labeled Vazquez:
"Peter Crouch"
Joselu might have labeled the Spanish football star as Crouch for his header against Alaves. In September, Jude Bellingham also nicknamed Joselu 'Crouchy' after he scored a header against Real Sociedad.
Peter Crouch is a former football star, who played for the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Stoke City, during his professional career. His height (201cm) and his heading prowess is the reason behind his mention in the Los Blancos camps.
Real Madrid wants to bring back former defender in January: Report
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Carlo Ancelotti is reportedly looking forward to signing a central defender in the upcoming transfer window.
Brazilian defender Eder Militao sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury earlier this year in August. Moreover, David Alaba also suffered an ACL injury during Madrid's 4-1 win over Villarreal last week.
As a result, Antonio Rudiger and Nacho Fernandes are the only realistic options for Ancelotti in the defense. However, Fernandes is also suspended for three games after receiving a red card against Alaves on Thursday.
According to Romano's report, the La Liga giants are looking forward to bringing Manchester United defender Raphael Varane back to Santiago Bernabeu. They are also linked with Girona’s on-loan Manchester City defender Yan Couto.
However, Ancelotti is expected to go with Varane because of his experience. Varane left the Santiago Bernabeu side to join Manchester United in 2021 for a reported transfer fee of £40 million.
He made 360 appearances during his time with Real Madrid, winning numerous trophies, including four UEFA Champions League trophies.
