Real Madrid 11 most important players in the squad right now

1. Karim Benzema*

Following Sergio Ramos' departure, Real Madrid's armband was handed over to Marcelo but it's Benzema who's the team's leader on and off the pitch.

The deal to sign Kylian Mbappe fell through, which is why Benzema will once again be an undoubted starter for the Whites this season – and he knows it's his own task to net those game-winning goals and carry the team to trophies.

2. Casemiro

Another untouchable Real Madrid player who's unlikely to ever lose his starting eleven spot, even in spite of the arrival of Eduardo Camavinga.

Last season, the Brazilian contributed to the team's 12 goals and he's going to be the key to Madrid's midfield brilliance once again this term.

3. Thibaut Courtois

Real Madrid haven't really strengthened their defence and one should obviously expect Carlo Ancelotti's side to concede more goals than last season when both Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane were part of the team.

This is where Courtois comes to the rescue. The Belgian needs to be really solid this season, sometimes singlehandedly securing his side a win.

4. Toni Kroos

As soon as Toni's back, he'll definitely be part of Madrid's starting line-up in back-to-back fixtures. The German's accurate passing remains his best quality while he also keeps creating plenty of chances through line-breaking passes and set pieces.

Given that Mbappe hasn't signed for the Whites, Kroos' offensive output will be really important once again this term.

5. David Alaba

The Austrian knows how to be a real captain and he proves it quite well at the national team. Although he doesn't compete for the armband here at Real Madrid, his leadership will matter a lot as he's now the team's biggest player at the back.

It's worth a mention that Alaba could really become the prime Marcelo when it comes to playing at left-back – his offensive qualities could help us a lot this season as well.

6. Dani Carvajal

We've all seen how error-prone Lucas Vazquez may be at right-back. As soon as Carvajal was ready to play, he fixed the team's defensive issues on the right side and started to prove his class.

Dani was quite important during Ancelotti's first Madrid spell too and we expect him to become one of the key players for the Italian boss again. His experience says it all.

7. Marcelo

We don't expect the experienced Brazilian to get much game time this season but he could play a huge role behind the scenes – otherwise, why would Ancelotti give him an armband?

Marcelo is always about courage and team spirit. He may become the new locker-room hero following Ramos' exit.

8. Luka Modric

The Croatian remains an indispensable part of the team's midfield but his recent injury problems make us think he'll be slowly succeeded by Eduardo Camavinga throughout the season.

Anyway, Modric is currently the oldest team member and his magic is still there. He'll rise to the occasion when needed, that's for sure.

9. Nacho

The academy graduate is one of the team's most experienced players and it's not ruled out that he'll be a regular starter under Carlo Ancelotti.

The Spaniard was outstanding at the end of the 2020/21 campaign and he could really boost Madrid's back line this season as well – for this to happen, he needs to be at his best again, of course.

10. Vinicius Jr

The young Brazilian is doing crazy things at the very beginning of the season and everything indicates that he might even bench Eden Hazard this term.

Mbappe is still not there and Vini has one more chance to establish himself as a starter – and these early glimpses prove he might be up for the challenge.

11. Eder Militao

This is going to be the first season in which the Brazilian will possibly play the role of an undisputed starter.

Militao really needs to carry his 2021 form into the new season – just like Alaba, Eder will be among those who would need to effectively replace Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane in the starting eleven.