Source: outsideoftheboot.com
Written by Patrick Mills
In this summer's U21 European Youth Championship in Poland, unlike Saul and Asensio, who scored well in goals, midfielder Ceballos did not score in Poland. In terms of basic attacking stats, Ceballos is not a good one – he only contributed two goals and two assists for Real Betis last season. However, his brilliant performance in the U21 midfield position in Spain led him to join Real Madrid for 18 million euros, with a contract penalty of up to 500 million euros. It can be seen that Real Madrid undoubtedly used Ceballos as a stand-in for the 31-year-old Modric.
Real Madrid president Florentino has a unique vision. Not only is Ceballos not worth much, but his style of play is close to that of the Magic Flute. Although he doesn't score many goals and assists, he has an excellent ability to connect teammates on the field, and is good at attacking the opposing defense with clever passes, and his ability to control the ball is also crucial to the team.
With Ceballos, Asensio and Isco, the Whites will reach a whole new level in the coming years, and with the Monaco genius Mbappe, who has been buzzing, Bernabeu fans can sleep soundly seeing the clubs they support have ambitions to reach Europe. At the same time, Barcelona's search for a stand-in for Xavi and Iniesta has been unsuccessful, which partly proves that the decision to trade Thiago and Fabregas was somewhat inappropriate. Real Madrid, on the other hand, have learned a lot from their opponents' mistakes.
Who was Dani Ceballos?
Ceballos was born in Utrera and entered the Sevilla youth academy at the age of 8. However, five years later, due to chronic bronchitis, he left Sevilla and played at a local club, then joined Sevilla's city rivals, Real Betis. He was only 17 when Betis made his debut, and a year later, Ceballos helped the team to promotion to La Liga, and he also began to struggle to adapt to life in the top flight, and finally last season, he made his name in Spain.
Spain's Ceballos impressed everyone at the Under-21 European Youth Championship, and he has since become the object of competition among many giants. Barcelona and Real Madrid competed fiercely for him, and in the end, Real Madrid brought the 20-year-old to the Bernabeu. Former Spain boss Bosque believes Ceballos is ready: "Dani Ceballos is capable of being a member of Real Madrid and he has little room to envy the big names in the squad. ”
What is his style of play?
Ceballos used to define himself more as a No. 8 than a No. 10 player, and with Players Like Isco and Asensio in the Real Madrid squad, Ceballos needs to have the ability to balance the team in the future, and his good ability to withstand pressure allows him to control the ball in front of the opposing midfielder and also hold the ball behind the opposing player. He can relieve pressure on his own defensive line. Former Betis head coach Victor Sanchez described Ceballos this way: "He's a talented player with amazing confidence and the ability to make the right decisions about tough situations on the pitch that are sometimes insoluble for the average player. ”
His advantage?
Ceballos is good at close-quarters possession, has the ability to hold the ball and attack the front, and has an excellent ball dealer. He doesn't look like a goal-scoring midfielder or a traditional attacking organiser, but his passing skills are similar to Modric's, and he's good at ball control and flexible. As we mentioned before, he only contributed 2 goals and 2 assists at Betis last season, but in the 30 games he has created 38 chances for the team and has 81% passing accuracy. He is also adept at reading matches, guessing the intentions of opponents and using them to regain the ball. Ceballos' former teammate Ruben Pardo at Real Betis had this to say about him:
"Dani is a player who makes it easier for his teammates to play, he always has the right passing choices and you can always get the ball very comfortable. He made everything easier. ”
His flaws?
Technically, Ceballos is just like the young European midfielder. He's not very efficient in scoring goals, but his role is to carry the ball into the box and pass it to his teammates without having to receive a pass from his teammate, he's more of an output. If he can be more decisive and resolute near the penalty area, then maybe he can reach a higher realm.
On the sidelines, Ceballos has had some shortcomings in the past that have hindered his progress, and if he wants to have more momentum in his career, he needs to focus on football. In the Copa del Rey match between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, both teams booed the national anthem, with Ceballos commenting on Twitter: "I think it's shameful to boo the national anthem, there should have been a bomb that fell on the pitch and killed all the Catalan and Basque dogs." ”
As he gradually came to prominence and began to live in the spotlight, some of his disparaging Catalan tweets, as well as some remarks about former Real Madrid goalkeeper Caselias, were deleted earlier this summer. At the end of last season, he gradually realized that he should concentrate all his energy on football itself and try to avoid these distracting things.
"Last season (2015/16) I felt like I wasn't doing as well as I expected, I talked to my parents and they told me to focus on football itself and forget anything else. That's what I've been through, and I'm happy to be where I am now. ”
If he can concentrate on football and play to his potential, there is no doubt that Ceballos has the ability to be one of the best midfielders in Europe and can establish himself as a main player – whether at Real Madrid or the Spanish national team.
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