Real Madrid decide new captain after Karim Benzema exit
Real Madrid are in need of a new club captain following Karim Benzema’s decision to leave the Bernabeu at the end of his contract this month.
Benzema had been appointed vice-captain in 2021 following the departure of Sergio Ramos and was then promoted once Marcelo left the club last summer.
Now, veteran home-grown defender Nacho is expected to get the nod, having already been part of the squad’s leadership group this season alongside Benzema and Luka Modric. As such, the 33-year-old has worn the armband on a number of occasions in recent months.
The Athletic has reported that Nacho’s imminent new one-year contract will come with the full-time captaincy. Carlo Ancelotti has already publicly expressed his belief that Nacho will stay beyond his current deal, which is due to expire at the end of this month.
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Madrid-born Nacho joined Real’s youth ranks at the age of 11. He became a regular with Real Madrid Castilla in his late teens, making his first-team debut under Jose Mourinho in 2011 and being promoted as a permanent member of the senior squad from 2013.
Although a centre-back by trade, Nacho has spent much of his Real career as a utility defender, often plugging holes anywhere across the back four – he has played multiple times at right-back and left-back, as well as in the middle just this calendar year.
The chances are that Nacho, who will now be Real’s longest serving player just ahead of Luka Modric and Dani Carvajal, could hold more of an off-field role as captain. Not a starter if everyone is available, he made only 18 La Liga starts in 2022/23 and was an unused substitute on nine occasions. It was a similar story in the Champions League, playing only eight minutes beyond the last 16.
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