Miami confirmed what everyone has been whispering: Real Madrid is missing a playmaker. It’s the elephant in the room—something both glaringly obvious and deeply entrenched. The team urgently needs a brain, a rudder—in other words, a Kroos. And the question will always linger: could this have been avoided simply by keeping Modrić?
But that chapter is closed; it was a club decision and it stands. So the situation remains unchanged. Real Madrid needs a playmaker, and signing one is essential. The match against Al Hilal made that crystal clear.
The problem is that the club has yet to identify an ideal candidate. “Okay, but who?” is the question that keeps coming up. And with that uncertainty, the entire operation sometimes feels like it’s grinding to a halt—a slow, agonizing stall. Mayday.
The team’s debut was a perfect snapshot of this dilemma. There was no player to lead the creative process, to control the tempo, or to bring order to the chaos.
They need someone like Rodrigo, Vitinha, Fabián, or Pedri—someone you can rely on to reset the game and push it forward, the core and heart of the team. Real Madrid simply does not have that player. Without him, they are condemned to disarray. Yes, the squad is brimming with talent, capable of dazzling in a whirlwind of chaos, but that only allows them to survive rather than thrive—and that is far from ideal.
The facts speak for themselves. Real Madrid entered halftime at the Hard Rock Stadium having lost possession, controlling only 45% of the ball. Even by the end of the match, their possession barely rose to 52%. This would be less concerning if their game plan had been to sit deep and counterattack, but that wasn’t the case. They lost possession because Al Hilal outplayed them. Tchouaméni is a stopper, Valverde a roadrunner, and Bellingham a finisher. Xabi Alonso built a midfield with plenty of verticality but very little horizontal movement—none of these players are creators, nor were they intended to be. With the wingers stretched wide, the team was left vulnerable, and the outcome predictable.
Looking deeper into the numbers, Bellingham, despite playing 40 more minutes, touched the ball six times fewer than Güler (50 to 56), acting more like a winger than a playmaker. Valverde completed 52 passes in total but only 18 in the final third, just 34%—the area where real danger is created. Madrid became a predictable side, shuffling the ball aimlessly from one flank to the other, clinging to the hope that their wingers might work magic upon receiving the ball, but it rarely happened.
The diagnosis is clear, yet the solution remains elusive, which is the biggest challenge for the club. Xabi Alonso wanted Zubimendi and pushed for him, but that battle now seems lost to Arsenal. Since then, no clear alternative has emerged. Rodrigo has always been a favorite in Chamartín, and voices praising Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández have grown louder, but these players are expensive and their transfers feel almost utopian. Meanwhile, options in the “affordable” category fail to convince. Stiller was considered but ultimately rejected.
This is where Real Madrid currently stands, combing the market and sweating blood to find that elusive footballer who can perform at Real Madrid’s level without breaking the bank—a task far from simple. This is the elephant in the room, both obvious and deeply rooted.
The feeling is that this operation could drag on until the end of August, a slow burn with no easy answers. But the diagnosis remains crystal clear: this Real Madrid team is missing a playmaker, and signing one is absolutely essential. Miami confirmed it.