5 Real Madrid players who could surprise you this season

#3 Martin Odegaard

Real Sociedad were surprised to learn that Real Madrid were taking him back this season as they were initially told that they could keep him on loan for another season. But the current financial strain that Real Madrid are facing and the need to freshen things up after their Champions League exit have caused the Blancos to reconsider their decision and call Odegaard back.

Since Zinedine Zidane took it upon himself to bring him back home and the Frenchman doesn't go out on a limp for players he does not have a plan for, we're expecting to see a lot of Odegaard next season at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Odegaard was impressive for Real Sociedad last season and was excellent for them before injuries impeded his momentum. He could be used as a deputy to the ageing Luka Modric. If he can strike up a partnership with Fede Valverde while being mentored by the likes of Kroos and Modric, sky is the limit for the midfielder.

#2 Isco

Isco had yet another neither-here-nor-there seasons last time around and he failed to nail down a starting spot at Real Madrid for a prolonged period of time. The Spaniard only started 15 times in the La Liga last season and came off the bench on eight occasions.

He wasn't at his productive best either, scoring just two goals and assisting two more in both the La Liga and the Champions League combined. Isco's talent is undeniable. However, his inconsistency and tendency to ghost has led to him falling down the pecking order.

At 28-years-old, the 2020-21 campaign could be the most important season of his life and Isco will look at this as one of his final opportunities to truly grow into the player he has often displayed the signs of becoming.

We expect him to give it his all and thrive amid the competition for a starting spot as it is pretty much do-or-die right now for the Spanish international.

#1 Eden Hazard

The less said about Eden Hazard's debut season aReal Madrid the better. After completing his dream move to the Santiago Bernabeu, the Belgian looked out of sorts and out of his depth rather uncharacteristically. After all, this is a player who used to tear up the Premier League week in and week out.

It would be fairly accurate to say that the 2019-20 season was perhaps Hazard's worst domestic season yet. His contribution was scanty, scoring just the one goal and providing three assists from 16 appearances in the La Liga after picking up an injury almost immediately after joining Real Madrid.

On his day though, Eden Hazard is unstoppable and we have been witnessing that for almost the entirety of the last decade. He is expected to go on and justify his price tag this season for Real Madrid and now that he has taken his time to settle into the Real Madrid setup, there could be no stopping Hazard if he hits his stride.

About the author

Shambhu is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who focuses on previews, listicles and news articles. An ardent Manchester United supporter since before his teenage years, he started following the Red Devils by age 10 watching MUTV on television. Shambhu is also a highly-revered rapper and a playback singer on Spotify, having a whopping 1 million monthly listeners.

For his articles, Shambhu believes in triple-checking every piece of information, relying on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and Opta, and staying away from speculative publications. He believes that his law degree helped him to be more articulate and meticulous with his content and one of his core strengths is seamlessly involving emotion in his write-ups owing to the love for the sport. For Sportskeeda, has done exclusive interviews with Spanish legends Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando Morientes so far, and his articles boast of a huge readership of close to 50 million.

Shambhu's favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and the Argentine attaining glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment. He believes only Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could replicate Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry in the years to come. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scot's unmatched longevity at the top.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith