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Real Madrid endured a difficult end to their 2020-21 season, losing their La Liga title to Atletico Madrid by two points, despite scoring a late winner to beat Villarreal.
The final matchday of the 2020-21 La Liga season was full of drama, as both Madrid teams trailed 1-0 at half-time. But Atletico Madrid stepped up against Real Valladolid, securing an equaliser within seconds of the restart. Meanwhile, in the other game, Karim Benzema’s goal was disallowed for offside.
With both teams eventually winning 2-1 on the night, Real Madrid fell tantalisingly short of a successful title defence. Nevertheless, there were quite a few positives for Real Madrid during the just-concluded campaign.
On that note, let’s take a look at the five best Real Madrid players this season.
#5 Casemiro
Casemiro has been one of Real Madrid’s best players over the last few years and has continued his fine form in the 2020-21 season as well.
The Brazilian is widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the game, with Casemiro's performances for Real Madrid this season enhancing his reputation. The 29-year old has become a key player for Los Blancos in the middle of the park. He notched up 46 appearances in all competitions this season, including 34 La Liga matches for Real Madrid.
Registering a goal involvement of 13 goals (seven goals, six assists) in all competitions, Casemiro enjoyed his most productive season in Real Madrid colours. The Brazilian registered a pass accuracy of over 83% in the 2020-21 La Liga, including a 71.5% success rate with long balls.
Casemiro’s forte is the defensive side of his game, sitting in front of Real Madrid’s backline and shielding the defence. He registered 151 tackles and interceptions at a tackle success rate of around 40%. The 29-year old’s tally of 62 interceptions in the 2020-21 La Liga was the second-most in the league.
#4 Luka Modric
Luka Modric continues to age like fine wine, getting better with age, as he played a pivotal role in Real Madrid’s midfield during the season.
A lengthy injury list in defence brought out the importance of Real Madrid’s midfield trio of Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro. A case in point is Los Merengues’ quarter-final tie against Liverpool, where they lost the likes of Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Dani Carvajal to injury ahead of the first leg.
However, thanks to their imperious midfield trio, Real Madrid dominated and outplayed Liverpool in the middle of the park, setting up two goals within nine minutes to turn the tie on its head. Games between two well-matched opponents are often decided in midfield, and Real Madrid’s midfield spearheaded by Modric rose to the occasion more often than not.
The 35-year old racked up 48 appearances for Real Madrid this season, playing in 80% of the team's La Liga minutes this term. The 2018 FIFA World Cup finalist completed 86.9% passes in the 2020-21 La Liga, including a staggering 78.3% long passes.
Modric also recorded 208 progressive passes and seven goal-creating actions in the Spanish top flight this season.
#3 Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos was arguably Real Madrid's best midfielder in the 2020-21 season. He was involved in 15 goals (three goals, 12 assists) in 42 appearances across all competitions.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner displayed his imperious passing range this season, picking out teammates in dangerous positions. The German also showcased exceptional passing accuracy during the campaign. He registered an almost 90% pass completion rate in the 2020-21 La Liga, 95.7% in short passes and over 76% in long passes.
Kroos also tallied an impressive xA (expected assists) of 8.6 across all competitions in 2020-21.
The German’s xA per 90 minutes of 0.28 was the second-highest in the 2020-21 La Liga, while Kroos was third in terms of key passes (66). The 31-year-old midfield general will now look to continue his excellent form in the upcoming Euros when he dons the whites of Germany.
#2 Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in recent times, registering 21 clean sheets in all competitions during the season.
With Real Madrid plagued by injuries, especially in the defensive third, their Belgian custodian rose to the fore, pulling off vital stops as the team's last line of defence.
Courtois recorded a staggering 81.1% save success rate in the 2020-21 La Liga, conceding only 28 goals off 111 shots on target. The Belgian ended his league campaign with 17 clean sheets, just one behind Golden Glove winner Jan Oblak. Courtois recorded a clean sheet ratio of 44.7% in the league, playing all 38 games for Real Madrid.
In 51 appearances across all competitions this season, the La Liga and Premier League winner conceded only 44 goals, doing so at an average of 0.86 goals conceded per 90 minutes.
#1 Karim Benzema
'The Benz' was Real Madrid’s best player this season by a proverbial country mile. The departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, along with persistent injuries to Eden Hazard, left a massive void in Real Madrid’s forward line.
But Karim Benzema shouldered the responsibility, notching up 30 goals and nine assists for Los Merengues, including a goal and assist in his team's last league game of the season.
The Frenchman was Real Madrid’s highest goalscorer across all competitions in 2020-21, while he ranked second in terms of assists. Benzema lodged an xG of 22.8 this season, one of the highest in Europe’s top five leagues, coupled with an xA of 8.1.
Karim Benzema (23) finished behind Lionel Messi in the 2020-21 La Liga scoring charts, recording 1.0 goals+assists per 90 minutes, the third-highest in the Spanish top-flight. Along with his goals in La Liga, Benzema notched up six strikes in the Champions League, playing a pivotal role in Real Madrid’s run to the semi-finals.
One of Real Madrid’s longest-serving players, Karim Benzema looks good to lead his team's attack for a few more years after successfully emerging out of Cristiano Ronaldo's shadow.
