Real Madrid’s 2016-17 season came to an end when Zinedine Zidane’s men beat Juventus 4-1 in the finals of the Champions League to complete the double. With this victory, Real Madrid not only won their twelfth European Cup but also became the first team to successfully defend the Champions League title.
Earlier this season, Real Madrid won their 33rd La Liga title and ended their league title drought apart from winning the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup. 2016-17 was a season to remember for all the Madridistas out there as their team won the double. Moreover, there were also signs that this could be the start of a new era for the club that could see their team dominate in Europe in the years to come.
Zidane marshalled his troops well and laid a strong foundation for the victory.
Another significant aspect of Real Madrid's successful season is that 20 out of their squad players played at least 1000 minutes and the ones who didn’t reach that mark are Fabio Coentrao, who was injured for the majority of the season, third choice goalie Ruben Yanez and striker Mariano Diaz.
Let us take a look at how all the Real Madrid players performed (on a scale of zero to ten) in the recently-concluded season.
Fabio Coentrao – N/A
For those who are not aware of what happened to Portugal fullback Fabio Coentrao, he is still a part of the Real Madrid squad but as always, his season was hampered by injuries. He didn’t play much in the 2016-17 season and that is the reason for not rating him at all.
Mariano Diaz – N/A
For those who don’t know who Mariano Diaz is, he is Real Madrid’s third-choice striker behind Karim Benzema and Alvaro Morata. He didn’t get the minutes he would have wanted but looked decent in the limited opportunities he got.
Ruben Yanez – N/A
Being the third-choice goalkeeper, Ruben Yanez was hardly used by Zinedine Zidane this season.
Gareth Bale – 5
After a great start, Gareth Bale’s season was cut short due to various injuries he suffered throughout the season. There was a lot of pressure on Bale, who cost the club a world record fee and the Welshman failed to meet the lofty expectations. Bale should learn to take care of his fitness as he could easily go the Owen Hargreaves way if he remains injury prone.
Danilo – 5
After a horrendous first season, a lot was expected from Danilo in his second season, but the Brazilian right-back failed to impress yet again. He was caught out of position on several occasions this season and committed a lot of defensive errors that led to goals. He is at the top of the list of players the fans want the club to sell in the summer transfer window.
Pepe – 5
Pepe was not used as a starter and the Portuguese often found himself as the third choice centre back. He was further demoted as the season progressed, due to the rise of Nacho Fernandez. In the limited number of matches he played, he looked very inconsistent. It is highly unlikely that the centre-back will stay at the club as they have decided not to give him a new contract.
Karim Benzema – 6
Benzema was very consistent for Real Madrid this season, however, he is still one of the players the fans want the club to get rid of. Aside from his dribble against Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League, the Frenchman didn’t contribute massively as he failed to convert most of his chances. However, his presence helped Cristiano Ronaldo score a lot of goals as he often pulled the opposition defenders away from the Portuguese, allowing him to find the back of the net.
James Rodriguez - 6
In spite of not being a part of the first team, James Rodriguez always made a statement whenever he got some game time. A player like James does not deserve to sit on the sidelines and the Colombian is rightly leaving the Bernabeu after winning the double.
Kiko Casilla - 6
Kiko Casilla did a fantastic job as a backup goalkeeper and whenever he got a chance to play, he didn’t disappoint his manager. In fact, he looked better than Navas on quite a few occasions this season.
Raphael Varane - 6
The 2016-17 season was one to forget for the French defender, who was miserable on most of the occasions he took the field. He committed a lot of defensive blunders that led to goals on several instances. A lot was expected from a player of Varane's calibre before the start of the campaign, but the 24-year-old disappointed everyone in a season that could have been a breakthrough one for him as a first team player.
Keylor Navas - 7
Life is very cruel especially when you are Keylor Navas. The Costa Rican international had a decent season overall and stood up when the team needed him the most. He might have kept just six clean sheets for Los Blancos in the La Liga and the Champions League, but numbers do not tell the whole story as he made numerous saves in big games to earn his side crucial points.
Nacho Fernandez - 7
Left-back, centre-back, right-back, Nacho played everywhere in the defence this season. Being the reserve defender, the Spanish defender stepped up his game for the team and was reliable in the matches that he played.
Alvaro Morata – 7
In spite of being the club’s second choice striker, Morata was Real Madrid’s second-leading goal scorer this season, just four goals behind the first-choice striker Karim Benzema. The fact that he scored most of his goals against the smaller teams is the reason for being rated just seven. The Spaniard was constantly overlooked by Zidane ahead of big matches and in all likelihood, he is set to leave the club in order to gain regular playing time elsewhere.
Mateo Kovacic – 7
Mateo Kovacic is another player who had a brilliant season in spite of not being a part of the first team. The Croat dictated the play in the matches he played and showed why he could be the perfect replacement for his countryman Luka Modric in the Real Madrid team.
Lucas Vasquez – 7
Lucas Vasquez was a perfect squad player for Real Madrid this season and just like the other fringe players, he did a fantastic job for the team whenever called upon. His work-rate was tremendous and the Spaniard contributed immensely to the team both in attack and defence. At times, he was used as a right-back, where he hardly committed an error and as a forward/winger, he did his job to perfection by testing the opposition left-back often with his quick footwork.
Dani Carvajal – 8
Marcelo and Dani Carvajal formed a deadly full-back combo as both players were crucial to Real Madrid’s success this season. Carvajal gave his maximum effort in every single game he played and contributed to the team’s cause in both attack and defence. Going forward, he posed a big threat to the opposition defenders with some accurate crosses and in defence, he made like difficult for the opposition wingers without dropping a sweat.
Casemiro – 8
In simple words, Casemiro was the CPU of the Real Madrid team in the 2016-17 season. He gave the team some much-needed balance and allowed the likes of Kroos and Luka Modric to go forward. He was defensively solid throughout the season and while he might have played some dirty football, he cannot be blamed for that as it was the role given to him by his manager.
Sergio Ramos – 8
The skipper led from the front and was a crucial member of the team. He not only did a brilliant job as a defender but also scored a lot of important goals that made a big difference in the La Liga title race. He could have easily earned a rating of nine but the Spanish defender committed a lot of silly errors that led to bookings and sending offs.
Luka Modric – 8
I didn’t believe in magic until I saw Luka Modric play. The Croat was the heartbeat of Real Madrid as he made the difference on most of the occasions including the Champions League final and both the El Clasico matches. He could have easily been Real Madrid’s best player had it not been for the injury he sustained midway through the season and the slump in form in early 2017.
Marco Asensio – 8
Real Madrid’s 2016-17 season started with Marco Asensio scoring a stunning goal in the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla and ended with the same man scoring in the Champions League final against Juventus. In between both the goals, the 20-year-old became one of the prominent members of the team and is indeed the future of the club.
Isco – 8
One of the success stories of the season for Real Madrid has to be the rise of Fransisco Alarcon a.k.a Isco. He started the season as a reserve player and when an opportunity came his way, he grabbed it with both hands and established himself as a regular starter. He was so good for Los Blancos this season that he benched the likes of Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez on a consistent basis. He often made the opposition defence look like school boys with his runs and passes into the box.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 9
Cometh the hour, cometh the champion! This season saw a more mature version of Ronaldo as he often tracked back to help the team in defence. He also helped dominate the midfield rather than just wait for his teammates to pass the ball to him inside the box. He suffered a dip in form in the middle of the season and recovered brilliantly towards the end of the season. His ten goals in the Champions League knockouts won the tournament for his team single-handedly.
Toni Kroos – 9
Can a player ever be so calm and composed on the field like the German was throughout the season? Kroos is Real Madrid’s silent guardian as he quietly dictates the play in the midfield. He was at the top of his game throughout the season and was Real’s best player alongside Ronaldo and Marcelo. He always posed a threat to the opposition defenders during set-pieces as his inch-perfect crosses often found the heads of his teammates inside the box.
Marcelo – 9
Along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Toni Kroos, Marcelo is right at the top as the club’s best player in the 2016-17 season. He was defensively sound and in attack, he could have put most of the wingers in the world to shame. His runs on the left flank and the crosses he put in to the box had the opposition defence on their toes constantly.
Manager: Zinedine Zidane – 10
Anything less than 10 for manager Zinedine Zidane would be unfair as the Frenchman managed the team really well. In just 18 months, Zidane has achieved more than what most managers have achieved in their entire career. He became the first manager to successfully defend the Champions League crown and he also won Madrid’s elusive 33rd La Liga title.
He outsmarted most of the experienced managers and his tactical brilliance against Atletico Madrid in all the four Madrid derbies, Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals and Juventus in the finals was simply outstanding. He also made sure that the players didn’t burn out and rotated them well so that they maintained their fitness throughout the season.
