“Together, we are unstoppable.”
Those were the words the Madrid ultras unfurled on their tifo ahead of Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League tie against Napoli. It acknowledged what the rest of the world had let fly under the radar – Real Madrid, the club of the Galacticos, the superstars, the individual maestros – had quietly become a team.
Paradoxically, the player who charted that change, the one they are most reliant on, is the player who embodies the idea of the team, the Brazilian who is their beating heart – Casemiro.
January 31, 2013
At the age of 20, Casemiro was already a failure. Considered one of Sao Paulo’s top talents when he broke through three years prior at the age of 17 – the Brazilian quickly lost his place in midfield, with the youngster accused of being ‘dazzled by fame’, laziness, being overweight and a terrible attitude that saw him clash with 3 different managers.
When Real Madrid took him on loan on deadline day of 2013, he didn’t even go to the first team – Casemiro started with Real Madrid’s B side, later going on loan to FC Porto and working his way back.
So why is this important?
Imagine, for a second, that you’re 17 and have already experieced 67,000 defeaning fans inside your boyhood club’s stadium (the cauldron that is the Morumbi) chanting your name. Three years later, and those very fans are livid – hurling abuses at you and glad to see you leave your home. You accept a deadline day offer to play for the biggest club in the world, but that quickly turns sour as you play in empty stadiums for the reserves.
Many would quit. Many have. Not Casemiro – his journey to ‘Casemito’ had only just begun.
April 2, 2016
The night Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid was born – a 2-1 win over Barcelona at the Camp Nou, which sparked belief into a side that saw them subequently win the UEFA Champions League. Who was Zidane keen to talk about after the game? Not Karim Benzema, not Gareth Bale, not even Cristiano Ronaldo. It was Casemiro.
With his typical Gallic lilt to his Spanish, Zidane described his Brazilian destroyer as ‘Fundamental’. He had cause – a few months earlier, 9 of the same 11 were eviscerated by Barcelona 4-0, this time Casemiro was added to the mix. Still, the world of football was only awakening to his quality.
The heart of Real Madrid
As a player, Zidane had a quality that set him apart from the rest of the twinkle-toed superstars – he often made football look simple. It probably extends to the way he manages – in the most simplistic of terms – Casemiro is crucial to Real Madrid. When the Brazilian is on the pitch, Real Madrid win 75% of their games; when he is not, that plummets to 64%.
Those seem like decent enough numbers, but once you compare that to Cristiano Ronaldo, it quickly becomes clear who the Real Madrid fans ought to be idolizing. The Portuguese star wins only 64% of his games this season, while Madrid win a startling 90% without him on the pitch.
Casemiro
27 games with, 20W, 4D, 3L – 64 points – 2.37 ppg – 75%
17 games without, 11W, 6D, 0L – 39 points – 2.29 ppg - 64%
Cristiano Ronaldo
34 games with, 22W, 9D, 3L – 75 points – 2.20 ppg – 64%
10 games without, 9W, 1D, 0L – 28 points – 2.8 ppg – 90%
It’s something the Galacticos admit themselves – when Madrid pulled off a nervy 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao in their previous game, Casemiro was at hand to score the winner. At the final whistle, the reaction was telling – Ramos and Carvajal surrounded Casemiro and hugged him, with the latter screaming his nickname within the squad.
CASEMITO!
That takes some explaining, if you aren’t privy to the vagaries of the Spanish language – mito is the word for legend. Casemiro is well on his way to becoming one. Not bad for a Sao Paulo reject, eh?
Marcelo went a step further, saying “He's improved beyond measure. He works so hard, he's a joy to play alongside, truly one of the best midfielders in the world.”
The best in the world?
A misnomer that constantly floats around the world of football are that defensive midfielders are only destroyers. The very best are more than that – N’Golo Kante is currently considered the best defensive midfielder in the world by many pundits, and the Frenchman’s qualities do not limit themselves to tackling.
For a long time, Casemiro was a bit one-dimensional, sticking to keeping things simple and only focussing on the defensive side of things. However, you can never take the Brazilian out of a jugador – Casemiro has slowly started to add offensive qualities to his game, although we can still consider ourselves shocked when he pulls off stunning volleys, like he did against Napoli.
Either way, when compared to Kante, Casemiro excels in most stats this season, with an average pass length that rivals that of most creative midifelders. He’s not just winning the ball back and squaring it away to Toni Kroos, Casemiro is finding Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo with long passes.
For once, I’ll just let the statistics speak for themselves:
| Stat (avg per 90) | Casemiro | N’Golo Kante |
|---|---|---|
| Pass Completion | 84% | 88% |
| Average pass length | 18.60m | 16.96m |
| Successful take ons % | 77.78% | 73.17% |
| Aerial Duels won % | 59.18% | 33.96% |
| Interceptions | 2.09 | 2.34 |
| Blocks | 0.32 | 0.11 |
| Clearances | 1.77 | 1.34 |
| Tackles won | 4.26 | 2.49 |
| Fouls committed | 2.81 | 1.49 |
| Fouls suffered | 2.89 | 0.45 |
This isn’t his peak by any means – if his former boss Julen Lopetogui’s words are anything to go by, we can expect more.
“It was a joy to coach him; he listens, asks for advice, takes it on. His secret is the desire to improve, his willingness to adapt.
Desire.
It could also be Casemiro’s downfall. As long as someone who infamously denigrated Claude Makelele’s talents is in charge, the quiet Brazilian could fall prey to Florentino Perez’ desire. He’s not blockbuster, he’s not glamourous, but Casemiro is the glue holding this Real Madrid side together. In Zinedine Zidane, he has an ally – who made things right back home, calling up Tite, the Selecao boss, and encouraging him to pick his midfield lynchpin.
Things have come full circle for Casemiro – those same fans who hounded him out now cheer for him – in a Brazil jersey. Tite, was surprised himself, saying:
I didn't imagine Casemiro was this good, but he dominated the game
And isn’t that just the story of his career – no one imagines Casemiro is the best, the most crucial, but he is the most crucial, and could be the best.
You just have to imagine.
