The void left by Toni Kroos at the Bernabeu is immense and not easily filled by stars like Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, or Eduardo Camavinga. However, someone must step up to take on this responsibility.
Aurelien Tchouameni
The first person mentioned is Aurelien Tchouameni. This season, Toni Kroos played as a left-central midfielder in Carlo Ancelotti’s flexible 4-4-2 formation. At times, the German midfielder was also positioned between the center-backs to receive the ball and initiate attacks.
However, if someone were to be chosen to come close to Kroos’s level, Tchouameni seems capable of meeting the expectations. The 24-year-old midfielder has a 92% accuracy rate for long passes. He is also excellent in his role as the club’s only pure defensive midfielder.
Kroos is not renowned for his defensive skills like Tchouameni, but he rarely loses the ball. Since the beginning of the season, Kroos has lost possession in the area near the penalty box only 8.6% of the time. Tchouameni’s figure is also very low, at 9.4%. Meanwhile, the duel success rate for both stars is high, with Kroos at 62.5% and Tchouameni at 62.9%.
Like Kroos, Camavinga has often played on the left side from the beginning of the season whenever given the opportunity. This is why the French midfielder has rarely played in his preferred position, as the legendary senior player still dominates that spot. Camavinga frequently has to choose other positions to get more playing time, such as left-back or defensive midfielder.
Unlike Kroos, Camavinga is confident with the ball and often pushes forward. However, the young midfielder has many times lost the ball in very dangerous situations. Nonetheless, this weakness of Camavinga has been somewhat compensated by his ability to track back and play aggressively. The 21-year-old star has made 98 tackles since the start of the season, more than Kroos (76), Tchouameni (51), and Modric (26).
According to The Athletic, Real Madrid’s management has no intention of adding any new names for the left midfield position this summer. Therefore, Camavinga’s opportunities in the next season will be brighter as he gradually replaces his senior teammate.
Although he has scored a lot this season, it’s possible that starting next season, Carlo Ancelotti will position the English midfielder lower on the pitch, instead of frequently pushing him forward as he has been recently. The reason for this is that Kylian Mbappe and Endrick are set to arrive soon. With Vinicius and Rodrygo, Los Blancos have an abundance of quality attacking stars, and Bellingham might not have the same freedom to roam as he does now.
In a post on Bellingham’s personal page, Kroos commented: “It’s time for you to take over.” This remark from the German midfielder could imply that he has prepared the way for Bellingham to replace him from now on.Scoring goals impressively, Bellingham’s midfield control skills are still not as good as many of his teammates. The English midfielder has lost possession about 16% of the time since the start of the season and has a lower passing accuracy compared to the average of Real Madrid midfielders, with only 89.5%.
Federico Valverde
Unlike the message for Bellingham, what Kroos said to Valverde on social media was quite puzzling. The German midfielder commented on his junior’s personal page, saying: “I will always be by your side, and in the coming days, let’s try discussing the topic of #8 together.”
Immediately after, Vinicius Jr responded to this comment from Kroos with a clearer message. The Brazilian forward wrote: “So this is the heir to the number 8 jersey.”
However, the likelihood of “The Falcon” replacing Kroos is quite low because their playing styles are completely different, with Valverde prioritizing the attacking front more and often playing on the right flank, even fulfilling the role of a winger effectively.