It is incredible that Real Madrid, the biggest club in Spain, does not have a large number of Spanish players to show for it.
Although MARCA acknowledges that Los Blancos’ locker room is particularly diverse, the lack of players with local training may be a problem.
The Spanish outlet confirms that UEFA does not require a club to have a specific minimum percentage of locally born players. But according to the Spanish federation, a club in Spain must have at least eight players who satisfy a particular set of requirements.
For the first time ever, Real Madrid starts a LaLiga game without any Spanish players.
Eight candidates are mentioned above, and at least four of them must have played for the team for three seasons, or 36 months, between the ages of 15 and 21.
The only players who currently meet the necessary number on that front are Nacho Fernandez, Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez, Federico Valverde, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, and Mariano.
The condition for the remaining four players on the list of eight, however, poses a problem. The second group of four players must have spent at least 36 months in teams affiliated with the Spanish federation between the ages of 15 and 21, according to RFEF.
Only Dani Ceballos, Alvaro Odriozola, Marco Asensio, and Jesus Vallejo fit the bill. All four players, though, face uncertain futures at the team and are in a good position to leave in the summer.
Real Madrid need to consider the issue of nationality in the squad.
Thus, significant choices must be made regarding the transfer plan for June. Real Madrid can find a way to get rid of all four players, but to make sure the requirements are met, players like Sergio Arribas, Miguel Gutierrez, or Fran Garcia would need to be re-integrated.
It seems inevitable that Vallejo and Odriozola will leave Santiago Bernabeu because they both appear to have been left out of Ancelotti’s plans. Therefore, come June, the management might be forced to renew one of Asensio or Ceballos.
Turkish juggernauts will make every effort to sign a Real Madrid outcast.
Eden Hazard can no longer return to Real Madrid. Over the course of his four seasons at the club, the Belgian international has not given the management any cause to believe in his abilities, and it comes as no sᴜʀᴘʀɪsᴇ that he is the Merengues’ most significant summer departure.
In Madrid, Hazard has one more year left on his contract. The ꜰᴀᴄᴛ that Carlo Ancelotti does not trust him, however, is evident, and any prospective replacement manager in the summer will share this opinion.
Hazard has no longer received the trust of Real Madrid’s coaching staff.
Mundo Deportivo claims that Fenerbahce is prepared to go above and beyond to sign Hazard this summer. The former Chelsea player is the Turkish team’s top target, but they have a difficult task ahead of them.
Despite seeing his career crumble before his very eyes, the 32-year-old is adamant about finishing out his contract with Los Blancos. Thus, it becomes challenging for the party to convince the forward to leave, especially in a league outside of Europe’s top five.
In the recently completed winter transfer market, Fenerbahce made an effort to acquire the winger. They came to an agreement with Real Madrid, but they were unable to persuade the player to accept the move, so they fell short.
The Turkish team’s biggest challenge will be persuading Hazard to leave his lucrative contract in Madrid in order to move. Though remote, there is a chance.
Maybe Hazard should look for a new team if he is still passionate about playing football.
This season in La Liga, Hazard has only made three league appearances and one start for Ancelotti’s team, a ᴅʀᴀᴍᴀᴛɪᴄ decrease from last season’s 18 and seven, respectively.
When Real Madrid and Cacereno squared off in the Copa del Rey back in January, he made his final team appearance. He last appeared in La Liga, though, in a 4-1 victory over Mallorca in September 2022.
