Xabi Alonso personally witnessed the validity of Zinedine Zidane\u2019s and Carlo Ancelotti\u2019s warnings about a player who seems to have lost the ability to perform at the level required for Real Madrid, let alone take on a leading role in the starting lineup. Despite his repeated demands for regular playing time, he failed to capitalize on the opportunities and prove his worth.<\/p>\n
A Golden Opportunity Missed<\/p>\n
Alonso attempted to give Dani Ceballos a chance to become the team\u2019s playmaker, especially after Luka Modric\u2019s departure this summer, as the Spaniard was considered the most likely candidate to revitalize the club\u2019s attacks. However, reality proved otherwise: in matches against Manchester City and the modest Talavera side, his performances were weak, and he failed to make an impact.<\/p>\n
The Player\u2019s Future is Decisive<\/p>\n
Alonso no longer intends to give Ceballos additional playing time except when absolutely necessary. The player\u2019s contract expires in 2027, and Florentino P\u00e9rez has not yet considered renewing it, while also exploring the possibility of selling him in the January transfer window if a suitable offer arises, aiming to generate revenue for the club.<\/p>\n
Betis Return Rumors<\/p>\n
Ceballos has previously been linked with a return to Real Betis, the club where he once shone. Now could be the right moment to end his time at Real Madrid, especially as the club\u2019s management seems willing to accept a relatively low transfer fee to finalize the deal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Xabi Alonso personally witnessed the validity of Zinedine Zidane\u2019s and Carlo Ancelotti\u2019s warnings about a player who seems to have lost the ability to perform at the level required for Real Madrid, let alone take on a leading role in the starting lineup. Despite his repeated demands for regular playing time, he failed to capitalize […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":18335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[37,27,56],"class_list":["post-18334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-madrid","tag-37","tag-27","tag-56"],"yoast_head":"\n