At 17-years-old, Eduardo Camavinga has the world at his feet. The young Frenchman made headlines when he became Rennes’ youngest player at 16 years and four months old. Since then, he has progressed immensely – so much so that, according to reports, Real Madrid are after him.
Camavinga has stated that he will be staying at Rennes this season. Nevertheless, it is only a matter of time before the prodigy moves from his boyhood club. If he did make the move to the Bernabeu, how would Rennes’ diamond fit and would he be able to handle it?
Eduardo Camavinga and Real Madrid: A Match Made in Heaven
Camavinga for France
There is no doubt that, on talent alone, Camavinga deserves to be playing for Madrid. He became France’s second-youngest debutant ever when he came off the bench against Croatia. He also became their second-youngest scorer ever against Ukraine. He is already one of the best midfielders in Ligue 1 and he is playing so well that a starting berth in France’s squad for the re-scheduled Euro 2020 tournament is not out of the question.
However, Camavinga has an advantage in that he is able to play with minimal pressure. He is Rennes’ diamond and one of their own. The fans love him and he is in an environment that will allow him to grow and make mistakes. In the pressure cooker known as the Bernabeu, this will not be the case. Any mistake made will be hounded by the media and the fans aren’t exactly known for their patience with underperforming players.
Midfielder’s Talent
The best thing about Camavinga is how complete he is at such a young age. He is able to play at the base of midfield as a deep-lying playmaker. This is a challenging position for anyone and for Camavinga to play it to such a high level shows his football intelligence. He has an excellent range of passing, is press resistant and his reading of the game defensively is of a high level. Combine this with his ability to cover a lot of ground and his tackling ability and he is every manager’s dream at that position.
What makes Camavinga special is he is able to play further up the pitch in a more creative role as well. With the acquisition of Steven Nzonzi on loan from Roma, he has been allowed to play closer to goal this season. His excellent dribbling ability and agility mean that he can glide past players. With his ever-improving passing in the final third, he is becoming more of a direct goal threat. He has scored two goals already this season, one more than he got in the entirety of the last campaign. A perfect example of his improving attacking abilities is his winner against Montpellier. He collected the ball on the left-wing and played a one-two with the left-back. He then drove into the box, used stepovers to bamboozle the defender and then slotted the ball bottom corner.
Eduardo Camavinga at Real Madrid
For Madrid, he would be the perfect buy. He is arguably the best young midfielder in the world, and just like Marcelo has been slowly replaced by Ferland Mendy, Zidane could do the same to Luka Modric with Camavinga. With the Croatian being 35, Camavinga would be a perfect replacement. He already has the Modric’s ability to easily turn out of pressure and spread the play. If he is able to improve his creative abilities and his game management skills, then he would slot perfectly in Zidane’s midfield. Where else to learn these skills than from the ex-Ballon d’Or winner himself? Playing in midfield would allow Zidane to incorporate a more fluid pressing game, due to the Rennes man’s relentless energy. His defensive tenacity is one of his best assets, and also could see him playing at the base of Madrid’s midfield as well.
Casemiro has been a key cog in Madrid’s midfield for years. His defensive ability has allowed Toni Kroos and Modric to weave their magic and it has been key for Los Blancos’ recent success. If Camavinga was brought in, Zidane could see him as Casemiro’s replacement instead of Modric’s. The Frenchman has performed excellently at a defensive midfielder. He shares Casemiro’s defensive tenacity but is technically better than the Brazilian. The only issue is that Casemiro is only 28 and is still in his prime. Camavinga could see himself rooted to Madrid’s bench for a season or two, whilst Casemiro is still playing to a high level. The Frenchman would get game time due to the sheer amount of games that Madrid play. Yet, would he settle for a backup role, knowing he could play for any other top club in Europe?
Camavinga’s Mentality
Eduardo Camavinga represents Madrid’s new transfer strategy. From spending an absurd amount of money on superstars, they are now investing in youth, a move no one saw coming. They have bought the likes of Vinicius Jr, Martin Odegaard, Takefusa Kubo and Rodrygo. Everyone but Kubo is a part of Madrid’s first team and have made a positive impact so far. If Camavinga were to come to the Bernabeu, he would be joining a team full of talented players. Nevertheless, he would be the cream of the crop.
The Frenchman also has a major quality which the Madrid faithful would love: he is a big-game player. His first goal for Rennes was an 89th-minute winner against Lyon. He also helped Rennes beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 as he recorded an assist and was rewarded with man of the match – all this at the age of 17. With Madrid playing a number of big games every season, they will need their players to rise to the occasion. If Camavinga was handed the keys to Madrid’s midfield, Los Merengues will be excited that he is not scared of the big moments at all, a quality which has defined through their record Champions League run.
If Camavinga does make the move to Real Madrid, then it would only be a matter of time before he is regarded amongst the world’s best. There is a certain limit to how much Camavinga would be able to improve whilst playing at Rennes. Making the move to the Spanish capital would allow him to play alongside some of the world’s best players. Playing under arguably France’s best-ever player could allow Rennes’ diamond to become the best midfielder in the world.
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