Real Madrid midfielder Lucas Silva hasn’t played a match with his parent club since 201t6 but he is still under contract.
Silva has spent the last few years dealing with health issues and traveling the world on loan, but now, the Br azilian says he wants to stay in Europe and find a new club.
This is likely one of the weirdest situations you will ever see in football. Lucas Silva, a 26-year-old central defensive midfielder is on the Real Madrid payroll, but is not training with the club or available for selection by manager Zinedine Zidane.
Why you might ask? “Bureaucratic issues.” That’s right. A player is getting paid to not train or play with the team right now.
Lucas Silva has been a member of the Real Madrid first team – technically – since January 2015 when he was signed from Cruzeiro. In that time, he has made just nine appearances for Los Blancos and has spent far more time on loan than on the team.
Silva spent the 2016/2017 season on loan with Marseille and the last two seasons with his boyhood club Cruzeiro. Now back in Europe and not doing much of anything, the midfielder is determined to find a permanent home in Europe.
"I have a year left on my contract and I want to continue my career in Europe," he told reporters earlier this week. "I’m training twice a day with a physical trainer to maintain a good level [of fitness]."
The Br azilian’s goal is to find a new club in the next two days before the transfer deadline in order to avoid sitting and watching from afar for another season.
When I first read about Lucas Silva’s comments, I had honestly forgotten he was still a member of the team. Silva is not listed as a part of the first team roster on the team’s official website, in fact, you won’t find his name anywhere on the Real Madrid website if you go looking.
This situation begs the question, why? Why has this happened in the first place and why has it happened to a player like Lucas Silva?
If I were on the board of the club, I would want the player to leave on a free contract so he could at least get paid to play at a place he is needed and valued. Leaving him out of the first team and paying him to train by himself is not only stupid but offensive.
Zidane and Florentino Perez need to figure this thing out before September 2nd.