Casemiro enjoyed an illustrious career at Real Madrid and have achieved all there is to achieve as a player before making a move to Old Trafford.
Casemiro’s position at Real Madrid before the end of 2017–18 was distinct from the one he held from 2018–19 to the present. In Casemiro’s first senior season under Carlo Ancelotti in 2013–14, he hardly played at all.
He spent the remainder of the next season on loan at Porto as Real Madrid collapsed after January 2014, suffering from the lack of Casemiro’s precise profile.
The following season, he was a part of Rafa Benitez’s team, therefore that was immediately fixed.
Although Benitez tried to start Casemiro as the lone pivot alongside Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, the pressure from above prevented him from doing so for an extended amount of time.
The first time Zinedine Zidane walked through the door, he began giving Casemiro minutes, and this time, the higher-ups had to stop complaining about their insistence on fielding more flamboyant XIs.
They were in no position to select Zidane’s starting lineup, particularly given the situation in which the Frenchman was needed.
Casemiro was the conventional central-defensive midfielder with a destroyer profile during Zidane’s initial tenure. Sergio Ramos, a premier ball-progressor, was already a part of Real Madrid’s backline.
During this period, Marcelo was also still operating at a very high level of creativity. Dani Carvajal was more dependable on offense.
When Cristiano Ronaldo was lurking in the box, these profiles called for wing-based strategies in the majority of games.
During Zidane’s initial tenure, Casemiro wasn’t as crucial to the build-up periods as he would be in later seasons.
His main responsibility was to recover the ball, screen, and support the full-backs to maintain numerical balance when needed. He was also a strong defensive presence in the Madrid box.
Following Zidane’s second stint, things began to alter. It’s true that the team’s offensive difficulties called for the defense to be cranked up like Real Madrid did in 2019–20, but the build–up strategy also required adjustments.
Recall that Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard were suddenly lacking in talent on both flanks, and it took a long time for one of Vinicius Jr. or Rodrygo to finally break through in 2021.
Casemiro was anticipated to be an essential component of setting up play due to his increased expertise and responsibility as one of the veterans. But his shortcomings in the moment kept this strategy continuously on edge.
The obvious strategy would be for Casemiro to drop between the two center-backs in the first build-up as the anchor, but that had rarely happened at Real Madrid. Toni Kroos or Luka Modric are always the ones handling this duty when Casemiro temporarily resides in more advanced positions.
Since Ancelotti’s return, Casemiro’s role hasn’t changed significantly, and the strategy is similar to Zidane’s.
It works even with this novel strategy, in which Real Madrid’s lone anchor is almost purposefully kept off the ball during the opening stages of build-up. It works because Casemiro has an extremely high defensive IQ.
The Brazilian contributes to attacks in other ways as well, often invisibly. He can compensate for any shortcomings on the ball with flawless and unrivaled defensive certainty if he is motivated and physically prepared, like he was during the UEFA Super Cup Final.
Casemiro Becomes The Latest Player From Zidane’s 2018 Squad To Depart Real Madrid
The majority of Zinedine Zidane’s 2018 team has nearly left Santiago Bernabeu, with Casemiro being the most recent departure after reaching a primary agreement with Premier League heavyweights Manchester United.
Real Madrid and Manchester United have achieved a complete deal on Casemiro, who is expected to sign with the Old Trafford club this weekend.
Contract negotiations for the player went underway between Manchester United and Real Madrid. Real Madrid will be given €60 million, plus €10 million in add-ons.
The only players left from Zidane’s 2018 squad currently under Carlo Ancelotti are Toni Kross, Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric, and Ballon d’Or prospect Karim Benzema.
The players that have departed from Real Madrid that were active and contributed immensely to the success of Zinedine Zidane include:
- Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United
- Raphael Varane – Manchester United
- Casemiro – Manchester United
- Sergio Ramos – Paris Saint-Germain
- Keylor Navas – Paris Saint-Germain
- Isco – Sevilla FC
- Marcelo – No Club
We don’t know how many more will depart or whether they will retire at Real Madrid, but one thing is certain: they won’t stay at Santiago Bernabau forever.
