Best Real Madrid Players of 2020-21

The Whites of Madrid finished the 2020/21 season trophyless, although they had the chance to win the La Liga title until the very last game week, and finally finished the league in the 2nd place behind fellow Madrid team Atletico.

And in the UEFA Champions League, Los Blancos managed to proceed to the semi – finals, where they were eliminated by the eventual champions

.

They also participated in the Spanish Copa del Rey as well as the Spanish Super Cup. They were surprisingly beaten by Alcoyano – a team from the "Segunda Division" that is the 3rd tier of Spanish football- in the round of 32.

Furthermore, they also lost the semi – final match of the Spanish Super Cup against Athletic club to finish the 2021 calendar year without achieving any trophy for the first time in a decade.

Despite the apparent "failure" in winning glories, Real Madrid fans have not been complainant about their team at all. Why? The answer to this question lies behind the players who were included in the line – up by

.

The average age of Real Madrid players have dropped significantly, and the 2020 – 21 season was a "transmission" phase. Therefore, many young players under the age of 20 received the chance to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world during 2020/21.

In addition, the injuries that some vital players in the squad have been suffering came as blessings in disguise as it paved the way for other players in shine on the pitch.

For instance, Sergio Ramos missed most of the season due to injuries and in the meantime, Eder Miliato filled in for him successfully. And the same goes with the absence of

for most of the season and the playing time the young Brazilians, Vinicius and Rodrygo, were given.

Best Real Madrid Players of 2020-21:

In the following article, we are going to introduce some of the best

players of 2020-21, assessing their performances during the season based on the numbers they have recorded. Read on to learn about the

best player in Real Madrid 2021

.

Karim Benzema

• Full name: Karim Mostafa Benzema

• Date of birth: 19 December 1987 (age 33)

• Place of birth: Lyon, France

• Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)

• Position(s): Striker

has indubitably been the best player in Real Madrid 2021, the same as the previous 2 years. In fact, the departure of

from Real Madrid in the summer of 2018 has benefited no one as much as Karim Benzema.

The French man was La Liga's 2nd top scorer with 23 goals behind only the great

who achieved his 8th Pichichi award at the end of the season. Moreover, the 33 – year – old striker provided 9 assists throughout the competition, which was the second – best number among the

Real Madrid players 2020/21

as Toni Kroos assisted 10.

The 23 goals that Benzema scored has been his second best record since his arrival at Madrid, as he had scored 24 goals during 2016-16 La Liga season.

Real Madrid scored a total of 67 goals during 2020/21 La Liga season, and with a direct contribution in 32 goals, Benzema was directly involved in 47% of goals scored by his club. The number becomes more luminous when compared to Lionel Messi who scored 30 goals and provided 9 assists, but his goal contribution ratio is 0.45.

Moreover, he recorded a 126 minutes/goal ratio throughout the league and which stood him 4th in the ranking of players with the best mins/goal ratio behind Lionel Messi (100), Gerard Moreno (116), and Luis Suarez (120).

Besides, by scoring 6 goals in 10 UEFA Champions League games, Benzema played a vital role in the club's advancing to the semi – finals for the first time since 2018.

Benzemas's bright performances in 2020/21 season, which has been continued to the 2021/22 season, have made several arguments among the pundits about whether he should win the 2021 Ballon d'Or or not.

While it seems far – fetched to see him win the award, the fact that he has been named as one of the potential and worthy candidates to win the Best Player of the Year award clearly shows how astonishing his performances has been during the last year, as not only one of the

best Real Madrid players of 2020-21

, but as one of the best players all around the Europe.

Benzema has signed a new deal that will keep him at the club until 2023. The France forward’s contract was due to expire next summer, but after losing club captain Sergio Ramos to PSG when his deal ran out earlier this year, the club have moved to ensure the same does not happen to Benzema. A release clause of €1bn has been inserted into the deal for the 33-year-old. He originally joined Real Madrid from

in 2009.

The French striker commented on his possible future move to MLS, "I like the USA. Football is getting better and better there. But am I telling you I will sign there? Right now, I am in Madrid.

Benzema admits he doesn’t spend much time looking too far into the future. "I take year by year. As long as I have this desire, this joy and I am loving football, I continue.

“I don't look at age or what is happening. It is all down to how I feel physically. I will never force it. I am 33; I will turn 34 in December. I continue to play, I feel better and better, so I have to continue. And to make the most of it.”

Toni Kroos

• Full name: Toni Kroos

• Date of birth: 4 January 1990 (age 31)

• Place of birth: Greifswald, East Germany

• Height: 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)

• Position(s): Midfielder

If you think there can be any list under the title of the

Real Madrid best team

while the German midfielder's name is not mentioned, you are completely wrong.

is the rhythm of Real Madrid's match. He brings balance to the squad and manipulates the tempo of the game as he wishes. He assists frequently and even scores when they are in hot water. Moreover, Kroos is a free kick expert – the assisting kind.

Kroos was undoubtedly one of the

Best Real Madrid players of 2020-21

. He was the squad's top assist provider in La Liga by assisting 10 goals. Kroos also scored 3 goals throughout the competition.

The most shining number in the 31 – year – old midfielder's 2020/21 career is this: Kroos recorded the best Key Passes per Match average among all La Liga players, even more than Lionel Messi. Kroos sent an average of 2.4 key passes per match during the competition- which means a total of 67 key passes within 28 appearances.

While Lionel Messi (77), and David Ferreiro (73) had recorded more total key passes throughout the league, Kroos' average stands above them.  Furthermore, Kroos was the player with the most "Big Chances" created among Real Madrid players 2020/21, having created 11 big chances throughout the competition.

Although the German player featured in only 28 games out of 38 La Liga games, no other Real Madrid player managed to create as many big chances as he has.

Kroos was the 6th players in the ranking of players who had made most big chance, with Lionel Messi being the best with 22, which is 6 big chances more than Iago Aspas, the second player of the ranking.

In addition, Kroos recorded the best pass success percentage (93.6%). Moreover, with 67.7 successful passes per game, he was the 3rd –most prolific passer among all La Liga players behind Barcelona players

(69.2), and

(68.1).

Toni Kroos has definitely been one of the greatest midfielders of the previous decade, and the achievements of Los Blancos in recent years have not been viable without him in the squad.

Having a player with Kroos' characteristics is a blessing for every manager. Without any doubt, he will retain his great form in the upcoming years despite aging.

Kroos signed for Real Madrid in 2014 for a fee of 25 million euros after enjoying seven successful years at

. In 2013, Bayern wanted to extend his contract but Toni rejected the offer. They had offered him 6m euros per season.

"At this club you want to win every competition. For me, the first thing is to have a good, injury-free season from now on and if I feel good I won't worry because successes will come," said Kroos.

"If we are all feeling good and enjoying ourselves, we can win things. I could say that we have to win LaLiga Santander, the Champions League...but sometimes it's hard to control it. We're well prepared."

Thibaut Courtois

• Full name: Thibaut Nicolas Marc Courtois

• Date of birth: 11 May 1992 (age 29)

• Place of birth: Bree, Belgium

• Height: 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)

• Position(s): Goalkeeper

While it may sound surprising for a club like Real Madrid, the club's goal keeper was one of the best Real Madrid players of 2020/21. He saved the day for his team on several occasions during the league with his astounding saves.

Moreover,

kept 17 clean sheets within 38 La Liga games, which was only 1 fewer than the Ricardo – Zamora – Trophy winner Jan Oblak who managed to keep 18 clean sheets. Furthermore, the Belgian tall keeper recorded a total of 90 saves throughout the tournament, only fewer than Elche's Edgar Badia (95), and Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak (103).

Cortouis's xG (Expected Goal) on target conceded was 33.0 during 2020/21 La Liga, whereas he only actually conceded 28 goals. This demonstrates that his performance has been better than normal. Moreover, he faced a total of 8 penalties throughout the league and saved 1 of them, which tells us he is not as good in penalties as he is in other keeping works.

In addition, Cortouis played in all of 12 Real Madrid matches in the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League. He kept clean sheets in 4 of those games, and made a total of 26 saves, and was a pivotal player in Real Madrid advancing to the semi – finals.

Although his performances were not satisfying during his first months at Bernabeu, Cortouis went on to be included on the list of the Real Madrid players 2020/21 with his astounding performances.

The Belgium international signed a new five-year contract with Real Madrid, extending his stay until 2026. The club announced, "Real Madrid CF and Thibaut Courtois have agreed an extension to the player's contract which will see him remain at the club for the next five seasons, up until 30 June 2026."

The 29-year-old joined Real Madrid from Chelsea in 2018 and has gone on to win one La Liga title, a Spanish Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

The Madrid shot-stopper said, “I’m delighted. Signing for Real Madrid was a dream come true and the same goes for signing for another five years. This is down to all the hard work and I want to keep making history with Real Madrid”.

“I want to give my best every day both in training and outside, to convey the best image of Real Madrid. This is a club that always aims to win trophies and that demands the maximum from you in every game”.

Lucas Vazquez

• Full name: Lucas Vázquez Iglesias

• Date of birth: 1 July 1991 (age 30)

• Place of birth: Curtis, Spain

• Height: 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)

• Position(s): Winger, right-back

Another surprising name on the list of best Real Madrid players of 2020/21 is

. Inherently a right winger, Lucas Vazquez was moved to right back position to feel in the injured Dani Carvajal for most of 2020/21 season, and the change turned out to be working perfectly, and within the span of only 1 season, Lucas Vazquez is predominantly a right back now.

Vazquez averaged the best ratio of successful tackles per match among Real Madrid players 2020/21, having completed 1.5 successful tackles per match. The said number stands him 2nd among all La Liga players, only behind Real Betis's midfielder, Guido Rodriguez, with 1.6 successful tackles per 90 mins.

Moreover, Lucas Vazquez averaged Real Madrid's best key passes per match ratio after Toni Kroos. The 30 – year – old Spanish player sent an average of 1.8 key passes per game, more than some prominent players such as fellow teammate Luka Modric, David Sliva,

, Koke, and Frenkie De Jong.

In addition, he was efficient in the attacking positions as well as defensive ones. Vazquez scored 2 goals and provided 5 assists within 2020/21 La Liga season, which makes him an unquestionable player on the list of the

best Real Madrid players of 2020-21

. The Spaniard has had an impressive season but has not been immune to the injury problems that have cursed Los Blancos.

Real Madrid's versatile winger agreed a new three-year deal with Los Blancos. His deal had been due to expire at the end of June, 2021, but he has now agreed to remain with Los Blancos through to June 2024.

Vazquez said, "I don't know what will happen [with my future]. Whether I stay or leave, I will always be a Real Madrid fan."

Luka Modric

• Full name: Luka Modrić

• Date of birth: 9 September 1985 (age 36)

• Place of birth: Zadar, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia

• Height: 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)

• Position(s): Midfielder

The winner of 2018 Ballon d'Or is not only still one of the most decisive players in Real Madrid, but he is among the best midfielders in the world. The 36 – year – old player played in 35 La Liga games throughout 2020-21 season within which he scored 5 goals and provided 3 assists.

Modric was also Real Madrid's 2nsd best dribbler after

, averaging 1.6 successful dribbles per match.

Furthermore, Modric won a total of 31 possessions in the final 3rd, which was the 3rd best record among all La Liga players and best in Real's squad. The total number of possessions won by him in the midfield was 83 – again the best player in Real Madrid 2021.

Moreover, the Croatian midfielder was the team's second – best passer behind Toni Kroos. The Croatian man averaged 55.7 successful passes per match with a success percentage of 88.1 %. In addition,

sent 1.4 key passes per match, which ranked him 3rd among Los Blancos players behind Toni Kroos (2.4) – the best in the league – and Lucas Vazquez (1.8).

It seems like age is truly only a number for the fantastic midfielder, as he is in the Real Madrid best team line – up at the end of every year.

"I’m 35 but I feel like I’m only 27. I feel great," he once said. "You shouldn’t look at the age, it’s all about how we perform on the pitch, regardless of age. I’m still hungry for more, to continue playing at the highest level and I feel great."

The veteran midfielder put an end to the speculation over his future by committing to fresh terms at Santiago Bernabeu up to 2022.

He had spent the last nine years of his career in the Spanish capital, and will now go on to reach a decade of service for the club.

“I am very happy and proud to stay at this club for one more year". Modrić said. "There's nothing better than playing for Real Madrid and there's no better feeling than playing at the Bernabéu.

“Everyone wants to play for Real Madrid and I've been lucky enough to do it, I'm going to be in my tenth year and there's nothing better than representing this great club. Nine years of dreams and hopefully the tenth season will also be special.”

READ MORE:

Follow 

 for the