Gonzalo 9, Asencio 3 – Real Madrid Player Ratings at the FIFA Club World Cup | OneFootball

The FIFA Club World Cup has long been known to have been Florentino Perez’s dream and the Real Madrid president made it very clear by putting his foot on the gas in terms of new signings ahead of the event after even changing the manager.

Needless to say, the impact of the new signings on the team’s performance was clear from day one and it is safe to say that the men in white looked far more comfortable and rejuvenated than they were under Carlo Ancelotti towards the end of last season.

Despite making it to the semifinal stage and being genuine contenders to take it all home, the strong force met an immovable object in PSG who were simply too strong for Los Blancos. Their campaign, thus, came to an end in heartbreak once more.

While the manner in which they exited the tournament was indeed far from memorable, the tournament was a great first event for Xabi Alonso at the helm to understand the squad and its constraints.

Madrid Universal brings you the player ratings from Real Madrid’s recent FIFA Club World Cup run.

Thibaut Courtois: 8

The Belgian international, at this point, is Real Madrid’s most consistent player on the field and a difference maker on big nights, and was again on song throughout the event.

His performance against Pachuca was particularly special as he racked up ten saves including four from inside the box to help Real Madrid get over the line with ten men. He was vital again both vs RB Salzburg and Juventus, and pulled off a stunning last-minute save vs Dortmund.

He did eventually concede four against PSG, but he still racked up three saves from inside the box on the night – a clear indication of how ugly things would get without him.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: 6.5

Trent Alexander-Arnold had a mixed start to life at Real Madrid. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

The new signing made his debut for Real Madrid in the the team’s first game at the event. He looked relatively off colour against both Al-Hilal and Pachuca but soon found his attacking mojo once more.

The former Liverpool star was a force to reckon with in attack in Real Madrid’s knockout phase games and regularly looked to find the long balls across to switch player and set forwards free.

He earned an assist against Juventus, played a good defensive game against Dortmund but eventually missed out on the semifinal after a fitness blow.

Lucas Vazquez: N/A

The veteran defender played barely any part for Los Blancos in the event but did rack up a total of 33 minutes in the end. It being his last event for Real Madrid, he will look to leave the club with his head held high for all his accolades over the year.

Raul Asencio: 3

Asencio was perhaps Real Madrid’s most disappointing and consistently frustrating player at the FIFA Club World Cup.

His tournament began with a disaster against Al-Hilal where he gave away a penalty to help the opponents to a draw. The next game saw him sent off and miss out the final group stage game for suspension.

His next start came directly in the semifinal of the event against PSG where he again dropped a performance to forget where he was defensively out of position and even made an error that directly led to a PSG goal.

Dean Huijsen: 8.5

Dean Huijsen impressed in his debut tournament for Real Madrid. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The new signing, surprisingly, was the team’s best defender by far at the event and he slotted into Xabi Alonso’s plans with perfect ease.

He was stunning on his debut, holding the fortress for Real Madrid with 16 successful defensive actions. His great form continued through the group stage and he even made his defence partner look far better than they were.

His dream run, however, came to an end when he was unnecessarily sent off in the final minutes against Dortmund and thus missed the game against PSG. Eventually, his absence turned out to be the single biggest reason Los Blancos were thumped by the French side.

Antonio Rudiger: 5.5

The German international entered the event still recovering from his injury and earned a few minutes against Pachuca after Asencio was sent off. His first start arrived against RB Salzburg and he started every game for the team thereafter in the event.

Rudiger himself was far from his best in the US and looked off-colour, was often caught out of position and defensively unconvincing. Huijsen’s silky performances, however, saved his poor form for a while. Everything fell apart vs PSG when he and Asencio both amplified each other’s mistakes.

Fran Garcia: 7.5

The 25-year-old was one of the unexpected finds of the tournament for Real Madrid as he churned out impressive performances week in and week out through the event.

Garcia initially began the event as a stand-in for Ferland Mendy but has now successfully moved ahead of his competitor on the manager’s pecking order.

After all, he was not only defensively stable but also much-improved in the final third and completed the event with a goal and an assist to his name.

Aurelien Tchouameni: 8

Real Madrid’s standouts at the Club World Cup. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Tchouameni was given a new role under the new manager and thus served as a defensive midfielder who dropped back as the third central defender.

The role, surprisingly, brought the best out of him and he looked more comfortable and defensively stable than ever before. Needless to say, he is one of the players best benefitted by the managerial change.

Tchouameni showed improved distribution, decision making, and positional awareness and will be massive for Alonso’s system going forward.

Federico Valverde: 7.5

The Uruguayan star, like many of his teammates, had a great tournament barring the team’s game against PSG and did exceedingly well playing in central midfield.

Valverde scored vital goals against Pachuca and RB Salzburg and then dropped an audacious performance against Juventus where he racked up five key passes and 93% pass accuracy in one game. As Alonso’s trusted resource in the central midfield, he will have a big role to play moving forward.

Jude Bellingham: 7

The Englishman saw a change in position under Alonso and was deployed as a central midfielder as opposed to his usual role as an attacking midfielder. Despite the altered role, however, Bellingham did decently.

Moving to a deeper niche did indeed mean Bellingham involved less in the opponents box. However, he was a vital part of the team’s press, served as a creative outlet and even finished the event with a goal and an assist to his name.

The youngster will need some more time to adapt to his new role and responsibility, but given his performance at the Club World Cup, it will not take him long.

Arda Guler: 7.5

Another of the standouts for Real Madrid at the tournament, Arda Guler made a big impression in his new role under Xabi Alonso in midfield.

The youngster provided control and creativity while operating through the middle while he was also a willing worker off the ball – an aspect of his game which had been questioned previously.

It is clear that the youngster is rated highly by Alonso and that going forward, the Turkish prodigy will have a greater role in the team. And the improvements in his game during the Club World Cup provide a lot of optimism.

Luka Modric: 7

The Croatian legend was playing his final event as a Real Madrid player, and while the PSG game will haunt him, he can leave the club with his head held high.

The 39-year-old played a part in all six of Real Madrid’s games and averaged 22 minutes per game. While he did not finish with any goal or assist, his quality on the ball was crystal clear until his final touch as a Real Madrid player against PSG.

Vinicius Jr: 5.5

The 24-year-old had one good game against RB Salzburg where he scored one goal and provided an assist, but his overall campaign was a serious disappointment.

Vinicius continued to look like a shadow of himself, as he has for the past several months, and is now seriously in the conversation of being dropped.

It remains puzzling how a player of his quality with such a high ceiling can fall apart so rapidly for he no longer looked even remotely close to the player he promised to be. Alonso has some serious questions to ask.

Gonzalo Garcia: 9

Arguably the biggest breakout star for Los Blancos in the United States-based competition, Gonzalo Garcia took the event by its scruff and proved what he has to offer in Alonso’s plans.

The academy star started all six of Real Madrid’s games and had a goal contribution in every game except the last outing against PSG where the team failed to get on the scoresheet.

With his natural finishing touch, ability to get into the right position at the right time, and his lethal accuracy, he netted four goals and provided one assist, and has made a strong case to continue club. The coming week will be decisive in his future.

Kylian Mbappe: 6

A quiet tournament for Mbappe. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

The Frenchman missed the entire group stage through an illness and his subsequent recovery. By the time he was ready for a start again, Gonzalo Garcia had seemingly done enough to stay ahead of him on the manager’s plans.

Mbappe scored after coming off the bench against Dortmund in the quarterfinal and his first start came against his former club PSG in the semifinal. Against them, however, he appeared equally as helpless and overpowered as his teammates.

Rodrygo: 5

If the tournament sent a clear message to any player that he is not in Xabi Alonso’s plans, it was Rodrygo Goes.

The player has been linked with an exit for a few months now but has insisted on staying at the club and proving his worth. Over the team’s six games, however, he accumulated just one start and just over 90 minutes in which he did not appear extraordinary.