Who is the big winner of this 2025 Club World Cup for Real Madrid ? The first name that comes to mind is none other than Gonzalo Garcia, the striker trained at La Fabrica who is making waves, with 3 goals and 1 assist in 4 matches at the forefront of the Merengue attack. The name of Arda Güler, who seems to be blossoming wonderfully in the famous Xabi Ball , also often comes up among the good surprises when it comes to making a first assessment of the Alonso era. Dean Huijsen and Fede Valverde are also producing good copies on the North American pitches. But if there is one who surprises everyone, mainly because he started from a long way back, it is Aurélien Tchouameni .
After a very complicated first half of last season, not helped by his fairly regular repositioning in central defense, the Frenchman had raised his level somewhat in the final months of the competition. But it wasn't enough to convince Madrid fans who were still skeptical about him, and some transfer rumors already mentioned a possible departure in the event of a good offer this summer. Speculation that quickly vanished, since the Frenchman is at an excellent level under Xabi Alonso. It's simple: he played all four of his team's matches in the competition.
Xabi Alonso is conquered
And above all, he was excellent, mainly in midfield but also in central defense, as in the first half against Juventus. "He is a fundamental pillar of the team ," summarized the new Madrid tactician, seduced by the qualities shown by the Frenchman. If we already knew that he was a player with a large volume of play, never stingy in terms of defensive efforts and capable of brilliant moves with the ball, we are seeing a Tchouameni more intelligent on a tactical level and more participatory with the ball. He does not hesitate to put his foot on the ball and to organize, to read the game well to find a well-positioned partner, almost always making the right choice. Perhaps restrained by Ancelotti before and now given confidence by Alonso, the former AS Monaco player brings a lot of balance to the team and is silencing the critics.
Characterized - clearly wrongly - as a more physical than technical player by a large part of public opinion, Tchouameni is showing that he can participate in the development of the game and fulfill the organizational role that Madrid lacked. Earlier this week, the Spanish press even explained that Alonso saw in Tchouameni his perfect relay on the field. "Tchouameni, and 10 other players," Marca even summarized , indicating that the Blue was the first name on Xabi Alonso's sheet when it came to drawing up his lineups. In addition to his purely footballing qualities, Alonso adores the player's mentality and capacity for sacrifice. Suffice to say that whatever the system, Tchouameni's place in the Real Madrid eleven is assured, whether as a sweeper or in midfield...
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