Real Madrid midfielder finds new lease on life under Xabi Alonso after nearly leaving in the summer | OneFootball

At the start of the 2025/26 season, questions surrounded Dani Ceballos’ future at Real Madrid.

With an overcrowded midfield packed with world-class names, many believed the Spaniard would once again struggle for minutes.

Even under Carlo Ancelotti, Ceballos had to fight for every appearance, and doing the same under Xabi Alonso was never going to be easy.

Real Madrid’s midfield depth speaks for itself, as Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, and Arda Guler all feature heavily in Alonso’s rotation.

Add Eduardo Camavinga returning from injury, and it was clear Ceballos was facing another uphill battle to make his mark. Yet, rather quietly, he has started to change the narrative in his favour.

Performance and progress in numbers

The Spaniard has begun to earn Xabi Alonso’s trust, showing that he can add rhythm, control, and composure to Madrid’s midfield.

Against Villarreal, he was in the starting XI for the second straight game, his third start in four matches.

Ceballos is gaining prominence under Alonso. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

Little by little, Ceballos is reminding everyone why Madrid renewed his contract and why he still deserves to be part of this elite squad.

Ceballos’ display against Villarreal might not have been as eye-catching as his performance against Kairat Almaty, but it was still highly efficient.

He completed 56 of his 60 passes, registering an impressive 93.3% accuracy rate in just 64 minutes.

In just five days, Ceballos played more minutes than he did during the entire Club World Cup, where he managed only 70 minutes across four matches.

So far this season, he has started four games, come on as a substitute in three others, and totalled 325 minutes on the pitch.

With the competition around him, Ceballos knows nothing comes easy, but through patience and consistency, he is proving that he can still be a key part of Real Madrid’s evolving midfield under Xabi Alonso.