Real Madrid Faces Defensive Crisis Ahead of La Liga Kick-Off
Real Madrid hit La Liga kick-off with a problem José Mourinho never likes to see: a thin spine at centre-back.
Two weeks out from their opener against Espanyol, the numbers are brutal. Five recognised central defenders on the books. Only three fit.
Centre-back room stripped bare
Eder Militao is still paying the price for last season’s long-term problems and has yet to receive the green light for competitive action. Raúl Asencio, who was expected to push for more minutes, has been ruled out for around six weeks after a thigh injury picked up in pre-season.
That double blow leaves Mourinho staring at a short list: Antonio Rüdiger, Dean Huijsen and new signing Ibrahima Konaté as his only senior options in the middle of the back line.
Rotation? Almost impossible in the early weeks. Any suspension or setback and the entire defensive structure starts to wobble.
Konaté is the great unknown. The summer arrival still has a small window to sharpen up, with two weeks of work and a friendly against Schalke to build rhythm before the serious stuff starts. How quickly he adapts will shape Madrid’s early-season resilience.
Huijsen’s role looks clearer. A minor muscle issue kept him out of the first official match, but last season he was Mourinho’s most-used centre-back. Now he is being pushed straight back towards the spotlight, likely asked to anchor the defence from day one.
Rüdiger completes the trio. The German, who wrestled with knee issues last season, has just returned to the fold, playing 45 minutes against Ferencváros and then starting against Deportivo. Madrid need him to stay upright and available. There is no safety net behind him.
Kids pushed to the edge of the stage
The injury list has cracked the door open for the academy again.
Joan Martinez and Mario Rivas have seized the moment in pre-season, starting the first two friendlies and convincing Mourinho they can be more than training-ground fillers. With only three fit senior centre-backs, one of them may have to live the jump every youth player dreams of and every coach fears relying on too early: becoming the fourth central defender in a squad chasing titles.
At the same time, the academy itself is being stripped at an astonishing rate.
This summer’s exodus from Valdebebas has turned into a storyline of its own. One by one, highly rated prospects are walking out in search of minutes and money elsewhere, and the club is cashing in.
Jacobo Ortega is set to join Strasbourg in a deal that would make him the most expensive sale of a Real Madrid youth player who has never featured for the first team. And he is not expected to be the last.
Manuel Ángel and David Jiménez next in line
Manuel Ángel and David Jiménez are the next names on the departure board.
Both have effectively reached the end of their cycle with Castilla. Both are waiting for the right bid. Interest is widespread, from La Liga to the second division and beyond, but nothing has yet advanced far enough to close.
Their situation is clear: they have been training separately and left out of Castilla’s pre-season friendlies and matchday squads, a deliberate move to protect potential transfer fees from the risk of injury.
Once Ortega’s sale and other outgoing deals are added up, Real Madrid expect academy income this summer to smash through the €200 million barrier. Inside the club, the window is already being described as historic.
These are not fringe names either.
Manuel Ángel, a 22-year-old midfielder who joined La Fábrica in 2014, was a key part of Álvaro Arbeloa’s treble-winning youth generation, alongside Nico Paz and Gonzalo García. Ambidextrous, calm on the ball, and long seen as one of Valdebebas’ finest technicians, he even stepped into the first team towards the end of last season, making seven appearances. The next step for him is simple but decisive: find a place where he starts every week.
David Jiménez, an attacking full-back with one of the best right feet in the academy, has drawn comparisons to Dani Carvajal for his leadership and aggressive, forward-thinking style. He, too, tasted first-team football last season, impressing under both Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa.
Both players, along with the club and their entourages, are now in a holding pattern, waiting for the offer that unlocks the next phase of their careers.
So Madrid enter a new La Liga campaign with a senior defence stretched thin and a youth system being sold at record pace. The question is unavoidable: how long can a squad chasing every trophy afford to walk this tightrope at the back?
