Gareth Bale won’t occupy a non-European place in Real Madrid’s squad according to Marca, thanks to an agreement reached on behalf of British footballers who play in Spain. They now have three players who will take up the space, in the Brazilian trio Vinicius, Eder Militao and Rodrygo. That’s not including Reiner Jesus and Take Kubo, who spent last season out on loan.
Militao is set to be an important player for Madrid next season given both Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane have departed the Spanish capital this summer, while Carlo Ancelotti is said to be expecting big things of Vinicius. This means that had Bale occupied that third place, Rodrygo would have been the one who would have had to make way.
The Brazilian may have dodged a bullet, but the truth is that the former Santos prodigy needs to begin to deliver at Madrid. He’s into his third season at the Santiago Bernabeu but is yet to deliver completely and consistently despite showing glimpses of what he’s capable of. Now, it’s up to himself to compete with compatriot Vinicius as well as Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio for a starting role either side of Karim Benzema.
More must-reads: