Karim Benzema capped a magical era by playing his last game in the Real Madrid shirt this Sunday. The French striker said goodbye in white for 14 years and even wore his captain’s armband at the end. The Santiago Bernabéu bid him farewell to heights and the club will pay him a fitting tribute at Valdebebas this Tuesday.
But Real Madrid don’t rest. He already has his eyes set on the future of the new team he will be designing this summer, and he has to think about the bracelet as well. Benzema will let it go, as Sergio Ramos did in 2021 and Marcelo in 2022. The white captain turned into a third captain after a year and is looking for a new owner.
As is customary in Madrid, choosing a captain is not a problem. The club’s tradition is clear: the bracelet is awarded to the player who has been with the team the longest, and the second, third and fourth captains are also appointed from the same player.
Nacho Captain…or not
Anyone who paid any attention to Real Madrid vs. Athletic this Sunday will easily know how to answer the question of who will be the new captain after Benzema. The Frenchman got his final round of applause at the Bernabéu as a white footballer, but he had to hand over his bracelet to another teammate as he left the field.
Nacho Fernandez decided. A born Real Madrid player, the youth team player is the second captain of the club this season and has been ‘promoted’ with Benzema’s departure. He had details that he would return the Frenchman’s bracelet after the game and leave as captain until the end, but after Monday it was his.
But Nacho’s future is uncertain. Nothing has been officially announced, but the central defender will be more on the outside than on the inside, as has been the case with Benzema, Asensio, Hazard and Mariano. His contract is also up and he believes the best thing for him is to go out and be more visible elsewhere. That would make it impossible for Nacho to retire without wearing a non-Madrid jersey, but so far only four players have achieved it: José María Zaraga, José Antonio Camacho, Cendo and Manolo Sanchi. Only soccer players.
With Nacho gone, Madrid will lose their first two captains at once and will have to find out who will follow seniority within the team. The players that follow are as iconic as Benzema and Nacho, so I can’t name them.
modric next
Modric becomes the first Madrid captain without Nacho. The Croatian landed at the Bernabéu in 2012, the year after Nacho was promoted to the first team. Luka’s contract has been extended until 2024, so his continuation is almost certain. Everything indicates that the ‘No. 10’ will play his final season in a white jersey, and may do so with a bracelet on his arm.
The Croatian, who has captained the team for many years, is followed by another youth team player, Dani Carvajal. The winger has spent 10 seasons with Real Madrid’s first team and will become the second captain.
Follow the below in the list Germany’s Toni Kroos and Lucas Vázquez, who have already worn the bracelet for the first time in September 2022, He first unveiled the honor in a friendly match last summer. Of these, only Carvajal (contract until 2025) will be able to continue after next season.
Succession planning at Madrid is still underway, with players joining Zidane after winning three consecutive Champions League titles.that is Thibaut Courtois, Fede Valverde, Viniciushas been with the team for five years now and will take over the team in the not too distant future.
Source: Diario.Elmundo
