In just 250 days, your life can turn completely upside down. Just ask Aurélien Tchouaméni. From castoff to cornerstone, his journey has been nothing short of a full-blown makeover. The kind you’d expect from a reality show transformation. Unthinkable just months ago. On November 5, 2024, he was booed off the pitch at the Santiago Bernabéu in what became one of the loudest jeers in recent memory. To make matters worse, Carlo Ancelotti subbed him off at halftime. He was completely out of sorts – and it wasn’t the kind of night that lets you catch your breath.
That was 250 days ago. Today, Tchouaméni is not only a starter – he’s a vital piece in Xabi Alonso’s tactical blueprint. A pivot, a third center-back, an undisputed presence on the team sheet.
There’s little left of the Tchouaméni from eight months ago. The one wading through quicksand, targeted and fiercely criticized. That night was a nightmare: he lost his marker in the 12th minute (0–1) and gave away a costly ball in the 39th (1–2). The crowd turned on him like rarely before, and he looked to have hit rock bottom. But he hadn’t.
The difficult weeks continued. Until January 16, in a Copa del Rey match against Celta – the turning point. His name drew whistles when the lineups were announced. But on the pitch, he played a blinder. Afterward, he posted on social media: “What doesn’t kill you…”
The system’s key
It didn’t kill him. Quite the opposite – it made him stronger. Tchouaméni started to grow. To heal. Step by step.
It’s been 250 days since that night against Milan when things began to shift. Now, everything is different. Xabi Alonso has made him his compass – the player who allows him to implement a three-center-back system, alongside Huijsen. The one tasked with the demanding job of playing both as pivot and auxiliary center-back. The one expected to make the difference.
A light in the dark
Tchouaméni is back to being Tchouaméni. He’s been one of Real Madrid’s few bright spots in this Club World Cup. Even on the worst nights – like the drubbing against PSG – he stood out. He completed the most passes (36) and recovered the second-most balls (5).
In a role as complex as his, surrounded by sharks, he managed a pass accuracy of nearly 98%. Xabi Alonso sees him as a nailed-on starter. And an irreplaceable one.
Is Tchouaméni irreplaceable?
Which brings us to the squad – and the market. Inside the club, there’s a growing belief that Tchouaméni has no natural backup. Güler is learning to play as a No. 6, Valverde has filled in at times but not convincingly, and Camavinga remains a question mark.
In the Club World Cup system, Camavinga looks more suited to an interior role than to that of a pivot or third center-back. Behind Tchouaméni, there’s no one. Zubimendi would have been the ideal signing for that role, but the move never materialized.
And so, Aurélien becomes even more essential. Irreplaceable. Who would’ve thought it – 250 days ago?