Real Madrid End-of-Season Player Ratings: Guler’s 8/10 sets the standard in midfield | OneFootball

The one department that Real Madrid entered the 2025/26 season with the fewest changes in was the midfield, as the general impression was that the big names in the department would be enough to sail through the season.

Xabi Alonso pushed for the signing of a new midfielder last summer, but the club refused to entertain the idea and convinced him that the players in the squad were all game-changers and capable of wonders together.

Rather early into the season, however, it became clear that the midfield was the Achilles’ heel for the team and that the lack of a creative and controlling presence was going to cost them dearly.

Throughout the season, both Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa attempted to control the situation with tactical variations, but Los Blancos remained vulnerable and exposed through the middle until the very end. All in all, it was one of the primary reasons for their undoing.

Madrid Universal brings you the season ratings of Real Madrid’s midfielders from the 2025/26 season.

Aurelien Tchouameni

Aurelien Tchouameni was one of the more stable pieces in Real Madrid’s puzzle in the 2025/26 campaign, although that also meant he was among the more overworked and overburdened players.

The Frenchman was forced to take up a highly exhausting role of being the fulcrum of the midfield week in and week out with barely any replacement available in the squad. 

His performances lived up to the expectations more often than not despite a relatively fractured relationship with the fans. In the big games, however, he did struggle at times as did the rest of the team.

Tchouameni was among the more heavily used players in the season with a staggering 46 appearances in total and his defensive numbers were impressive. The team’s lack of identity, however, rubbed off as his failure, and his efforts in midfield went in vain.

In the end, his campaign was marred by a highly publicised fight with Federico Valverde behind the scenes, one which has left his future in relative uncertainty. 

Season rating: 7

Up and down seasons for Tchouameni and Valverde. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Federico Valverde

Valverde was Real Madrid’s on-field captain for most of the season with Dani Carvajal not having a major role, and he was tasked with filling the void of leadership left by the departure of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

His season included some very fiery highs but also equally disastrous lows, and his performances had a direct impact on the team’s showing across competitions.

Alonso’s tenure largely hindered his comfort as he refused to keep filling in at right-back and moving out of his comfort zone. Eventually, the tensions boiled down to internal fights and clashes that stole the headlines.

Under Arbeloa, Valverde had a scintillating attacking output and made himself comfortable in the final third. His highest point in the season was his hat-trick against Manchester City which killed off the tie.

Season rating: 7

Dani Ceballos

Real Madrid struggled in midfield all season through injuries, tactical struggles, and internal conflicts – all of which played a part.

Despite all those hindrances and limitations, Dani Ceballos could not earn opportunities or a starting berth for himself – and that quite sums up the seemingly non-existent season he had.

He was never relied on regularly by Alonso and Arbeloa, both of whom did not see him as a solution to the team’s lack of creativity in midfield. He finished the season with just four starts and 16 La Liga appearances all season.

Season rating: 3.5

Arda Guler

The 2025/26 campaign was Arda Guler’s proper breakthrough season after being in the shadows for a long time, and the youngster did well to soak in the pressure and deliver more often than not.

He transitioned from a fringe player to a reliable and consistent performer and was excellent in the initial part of the season where Jude Bellingham was out injured. However, the Englishman’s return saw him pushed out of his niche and productivity tapered.

Breakthrough season for Guler. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Guler was one of the team’s best players against Bayern Munich and broke several records including the team’s fastest goal in UCL history and La Liga’s longest range goal ever. He has also been nominated for the league’s Best U23 Player of the Season award.

While most of the takeaways from his season were positive, there was a sense that he lacked the physicality needed for the big games at times – an aspect he will look to work on ahead of next season.

Season rating: 8

Jude Bellingham

Forced to undergo surgery after the FIFA Club World Cup, Jude Bellingham missed the opening part of Real Madrid’s season and spent the rest of the season looking for his best version which simply never arrived.

He had two major injury windows, one from July to September and one in February 2026. Unfortunately for him, the second injury arrived just around the time when he was finding his best moment in the season and pressed the restart button.

By the time the business end of the campaign arrived, Bellingham looked fatigued by the minutes and the burden of being a tactical misfit and thus looked like a ghost of his former self.

Season rating: 6.5

Eduardo Camavinga

The 2025/26 campaign, quite clearly, was the lowest point in Eduardo Camavinga’s career so far as he enjoyed barely any prominence, minutes, or trust from the managers.

Plagued by persistent injuries, drops in form, and tactical issues, the player completely lost out on his starter tag at the club and was reduced to a bench warmer.

Fitness issues hindered him at the beginning of his campaign and he missed the team’s opening games of the season entirely. Once he returned, he found no direct place in midfield and did not look comfortable playing out of position as well.

When handed the chance in big games like the clashes against Bayern Munich, he once again disappointed and even earned a red card that derailed the team completely. Eventually, his season saw him dropped from the World Cup squad as well.

Season rating: 4.5

Thiago Pitarch

The breakout star. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

In a season that had few highs, Thiago Pitarch’s rise was one of the few silver linings in Real Madrid’s campaign. For an academy graduate thrown into the deep end, the youngster held his own brilliantly.

At a time when the seniors in the dressing room seemingly collapsed in midfield, Pitarch brought some stability and order to the department. He began as a prospect splitting minutes between Castilla and senior side, but eventually made the full transition.

From his appearance against Benfica in February to the final game of the season where he gave two assists, his development was fabulous to follow. 

At the end of the campaign, however, his prominence slightly tapered owing to reported pressure from the administration to hand big-name prominence over academy stars.

Season rating: 7.5