5 Real Madrid players who could surprise you this season

Real Madrid is a team full of star players and world class footballers. In a team which has Cristiano Ronaldo, there are not many other players you would want to look at. However, these 5 players in the Real Madrid squad have the potential to become superstars and influence matches this season.

Taking into account form from the latter part of the 2015/16 season and the form in Real Madrid’s pre-season, we take a look at 5 players from Los Blancos squad who might surprise everyone with their performances this season:

Casemiro

Casemiro plays in a position which does definitely not enjoy the limelight,but if you ask Zidane, he might pick Casemiro as the most important player for his system to work. The Brazilian played the role of the destroyer to perfection in the latter stages of Real Madrid’s 2015/16 campaign and was an integral part of Real Madrid’s renaissance under Zidane.

Casemiro’s positioning and tackling skills are invaluable to Zidane and Madrid look like a completely different team without him in midfield. The importance of Casemiro can be seen from the fact that Simeone picked out the Brazilian as the main threat to Atletico ahead of last season’s Champions League final.

Simeone was asked if Casemiro was important to Madrid and replied in the affirmative, saying “For the balance of Real Madrid, yes, certainly. It's going to be a very tense, balanced game. The presence of Casemiro gives them the possibility of regrouping better if they lose the ball.

“Casemiro makes Madrid very dangerous on the counter-attack. If you give them space they're very dangerous.”

Casemiro might just overtake Sergio Busquets as the game’s premier CDM this season.

Danilo

The Brazilian right-back has not had the best of times at Real Madrid, but there have been encouraging signs in pre-season. Although Dani Carvajal is undoubtedly the number 1 choice for the right-back position, Danilo might give Zidane a pleasant headache if he puts in some solid displays if and when he gets the chance.

Danilo’s main strength is his attacking contribution and he had an extremely high pass percentage of 88% last season. In pre-season, he also showed that he was capable of the spectacular when he scored an absolute thunderbolt against Bayern Munich from more than 30 yards out.

Danilo’s main problem is his positioning skills, but with sufficient hard work and training, the Brazilian footballer might surprise his critics with some solid performances this season. Also, Madrid will need to rotate their squad well to cope with the added demands of the FIFA Club World Cup and Danilo will need to take his opportunity when it arrives.

Pepe

At 33 years old, Portuguese defender Pepe has enjoyed a second wind in his career. He was absolutely inspirational in Portugal’s triumphant Euro 2016 campaign and was one of the best defenders in Euro 2016. One of the most consistent defenders in the last 6 months, Pepe with his performances is sure to keep a starting place ahead of promising youngster Raphael Varane.

Pepe’s stats at Euro 2016 was absolutely phenomenal. The Real Madrid defender won the Man of the Match award in the Final, helping Portugal keep a clean sheet. He also won the ball back on 60 occasions for his team, that is 10 recoveries per game. He has also had the stat for the most interceptions in the tournament i.e. 19 and made seven vital blocks in the tournament.

The Portuguese veteran might still have two good seasons of football left in him and he might surprise many and even outshine his team-mate and captain Sergio Ramos at the heart of the Real Madrid defence.

Marco Asensio

The latest attacking midfielder coming out from Spain, Marco Asensio has really captured everyone’s imagination with his superb performances in pre-season and the UEFA Super Cup. Blessed with excellent passing skills, vision and intelligence, Asensio’s decision-making skills are already at a very high level despite the fact that he is still only 20.

The Real Madrid youngster also has great close control and dribbling skills, and he is never shy of taking on a player. Capable of scoring spectacular goals, Asensio’s performances have been so good that many Madrid fans feel that he is already higher up in the pecking order compared to established stars like James Rodriguez and Isco.

Rafael Nadal on a phone call to Perez convinced the Real Madrid president to buy Asensio from Mallorca, and Zidane and the Real Madrid board will be thanking the tennis star for recommending them to sign Asensio.

Also, the youngster seems to enjoy the confidence of Zidane and with Real Madrid expected to go deep in multiple cup competitions, Asensio might just get the required chances to make a real impact this season.

Gareth Bale

This season could just be the season Gareth Bale cements his place as one of the greatest footballers of this generation. The Welshman has been overshadowed by his more illustrious team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo ever since he made his record-breaking transfer from Tottenham to Real Madrid.

Bale, 27, is supposed to be at the peak of his career now and if his performances are anything to go by in the last 6 months, the Welshman is primed to be the superstar of this amazing Real Madrid team.

To be fair, Bale has always had an impact whenever he has been completely fit, and even in the last season, during his limited appearances, he was often the best player on the pitch. If the Welsh speedster manages to remain fit for the entire season, we might just see the winger challenge for the Ballon d'Or award next season.

This season Bale might finally put the Madrid boo-boys to rest and cement his place as one of the all-time Real Madrid greats.