Dani Ceballos is impressing again at a crucial time – both for him and Real Madrid
On the verge of half-time, Dani Ceballos was fouled twice in quick succession on the edge of the Almeria box, the second occasion after beating a player with a skilful move that brought loud cheers from the Bernabeu’s stands.
On the verge of half-time, Dani Ceballos was fouled twice in quick succession on the edge of the Almeria box, the second occasion after beating a player with a skilful move that brought loud cheers from the Bernabeu’s stands.
Karim Benzema had already scored a hat-trick, but the Real Madrid fans were showing their support once more for a midfielder whose future at the club is yet to be settled.
Ceballos was Madrid’s joint most-fouled player in Saturday’s 4-2 win, brought down four times as relegation candidates Almeria struggled to contain his creativity. He was in the team in place of the injured Luka Modric, with coach Carlo Ancelotti describing Ceballos before the game as the player in the squad “with most similar characteristics” to the Croatian. Once again, that was plain to see. Ceballos’ performance was a good one. It was also well timed, for two reasons.
With Modric out for a few weeks, Madrid might well need him to step up again when they face Osasuna in Saturday’s Copa del Rey final or in their Champions League semi-final against Manchester City, with the first leg at home a week tomorrow (Tuesday, May 9) and the return eight days later.
This is also a key period for Ceballos personally, with his contract set to expire at the end of this season.
Madrid fans have been showing their support for the 26-year-old for a few months now. They first began calling for him to stay in January. That, too, was a reflection of his strong performances, and of his consistently positive attitude when on the pitch.
Like Modric, too, Ceballos is hugely appreciated for his ability to drive the team forward. He’s the Madrid midfielder who averages the highest number of dribbles per game, with 2.29, according to Opta, as well as averaging the most turnovers, with 7.79. He’s also the first-team midfielder who has played the fewest number of minutes this season: 1,538 in all competitions.
"I want to play football and I want to be judged by my level on the pitch," Ceballos said when asked about his future a month ago, in an interview on Spanish TV station Movistar. "I don’t want a renewal if I don’t deserve it and I don’t want to go to another club if I don’t deserve it."
Madrid sources, who preferred to remain anonymous when speaking with The Athletic, strike a similar tone on the subject. They say everything will be decided at the end of the season, because that is when “both the club and player have agreed to evaluate everything”.
But this has not prevented Ceballos, who spent the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons on loan to Arsenal, from at least exploring the options he has away from the Bernabeu.
Unusually for a Madrid player, Ceballos does not have permanent representation through an agency, at least in an official capacity, and is instead being advised by relatives and a trusted lawyer.
A few months ago, he did meet with an important representation agency to find out what offers they could put on the table. The idea of returning to England was low down in his preferences because he has unpleasant memories of his time there, and his priority is to stay in Spain if he were to leave Madrid. In the event of that not being possible, his other two preferences would be Italy and Germany.
Sources close to the situation say Ceballos talks occasionally with agencies to clarify his options but insist he “is not marrying anyone”. However, the same sources also explain that, in addition to a recent attempt by Atletico Madrid to sign him, he does now have another offer from a team that would fulfil his salary expectations.