The title of the best player in La Liga is often attributed to Lionel Messi. But with the recent news of Messi wanting to leave Barcelona, Real Madrid’s Casemiro makes a case for the best talent in the top Spanish league.
The defensive midfielder has been one of the key reasons why Real Madrid dominated the previous season, per Fansided’s The Real Champs. In the 2019-2020 campaign, Casemiro notched 635 pressures and was first in the La Liga with 74 interceptions. To add to this, he was also first in tackles and tackles won with 112 and 75 respectively.
Throughout Casemiro’s playing days, he’s showed up in 240 appearances for Real Madrid and has netted 23 goals and tallied 18 assists. The manner he moves on the field is elite and is considered as one of the anchors for Zinedine Zidane’s roster. In his entire La Liga career, he’s played in 155 games, netted 17 goals and dished out 11 assists.
The current market value of Vazquez is estimated to be at around 64 million Euros. With the top talent in Real Madrid, Casemiro leads the squad with Raphael Varane as the defensive specialist of the team. The manner of how Los Blancos dictates both the offense and defense can be attributed to how Casemiro reads his opponents well and constantly remains aggressive under pressure.
It has already been heavily speculated that Messi will sign a deal with Manchester City, completing a reunion with former manager Pep Guardiola. The six-time Ballon d’Or winner has been frustrated with the current predicament of Barcelona considering their rough few months. This was highlighted in the latest Champions League where they were defeated by a large 8-2 margin against Bayern Munich.
A lot is expected for Zidane’s lineup as he’s already tallied 11 championships for the Santiago Bernabeu-based squad. They’re looking to maintain their top form with Casemiro playing in his peak physical condition. It will be interesting to see how the club manages its roster and how La Liga's future will look like without Messi as their competition.