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Real Madrid are cruising under the guidance of Carlo Ancelotti. Apart from the recent 0-4 El Clasico loss, Los Blancos are living their season on a high. Real Madrid sit comfortably at the top of the Liga table and have successfully eliminated PSG from the UCL competition.
Karim Benzema's superhuman form is proving to be fruitful for the Spanish giants. The uprising of Vinicius Junior as the perfect sidekick for the Frenchman has made the Real Madrid attack even sharper. Real Madrid's squad depth is helping them put up brilliant performances in Spain and also Europe.
Ancelotti took on the reign after the departure of the club's highly decorated boss Zizou. While we have addressed the squad depth of the club, let's take a look at the players who have played the least minutes in Real Madrid's shirt so far this season.
5. Mariano Díaz - 228
Mariano Diaz has been that figure at the club that is called upon when needed but never on a regular basis. The talented forward has been with the club since his childhood days.
After featuring for the club at youth level, he earned an invitation to the senior team in 2016. The Spanish international joined Lyon in search of regular playing minutes ahead of the 2017/18 season.
Mariano Diaz's brilliant performance in Ligue 1 urged the management to bring him back to the Santiago Bernabeu. Upon return, he was given the iconic seven-number shirt. Nevertheless, he failed to deliver and was relegated to the bench.
Mariano Diaz made his last full-time appearance on 30th October 2021 in an away win (1-2) against Elche. Ever since, he has been nothing more than a cameo, accumulating 228 minutes in total.
4. Andriy Lunin - 210
Andriy Lunin has been a part of Real Madrid's goalkeeping unit since 2018 but has never featured in a league game for the club. He signed for the Spanish juggernaut in 2018 and became the first-ever Ukrainian Madridista.
Lunin was eventually sent on loan to various clubs to keep his game alive. Lunin featured for Real Madrid in the team's friendly fixtures before the start of the 2021/22 season.
The Ukrainian shot-stopper was deployed by Ancelotti for the entire 120 minutes of the Los Vikings' clash against Elche in the Copa del Rey - Round of 16. Since then, Andriy Lunin has been a second-fiddle to Thibaut Courtois, placed on the bench.
3. Antonio Blanco - 36
Antonio Blanco is being groomed under the watchful eyes of Florentino Perez considering the future of the club. Blanco's skill set makes him the perfect future prospect for Real Madrid's aging midfield.
As of now, Blanco is being used as a back in the senior side and a regular in the Real Madrid Castilla squad. Antonio Blanco rose to prominence after Real Madrid Castilla's UEFA Youth League 2019-20 triumph.
Blanco has made a total of 36 minutes of appearances for Real Madrid's senior side so far this season. He played 30 minutes against Los Blancos' thumping 6-1 win against Mallorca on 23rd September 2021. The remaining six minutes were marked during the return fixture against FC Sheriff.
2. Dani Ceballos - 18
Dani Ceballos was signed by Real Madrid in 2017. He scored a brace in Real Madrid's 2-1 victory over Deportivo Alaves in his first-ever start for the club. Despite being used as a limited resource in the club's La Liga outings, Dani featured in four UCL games that season. The same year, the club registered its third consecutive and thirteenth overall UCL title.
To keep his form alive, the club decided to send the former Betis man on loan to Arsenal for a season. His fine form earned him an extension at the Emirates Stadium. Dani Ceballos was eventually called back to the Santiago Bernabeu.
He played his last game in the white shirt on 6th March 2022 against Real Sociedad. He played just eight minutes.
1. Jesús Vallejo - 14
Real Madrid were never out of solid center-back options. If shuffled through the pages of the club's roster, we will be able to find some of the best names within the world of football decorating the stopper's role within the club.
Jesus Vallejo joined Real Madrid in 2015 and was immediately loaned to Real Zaragoza as the center back roles were occupied by Sergio Ramos and Pepe. When Pepe departed, the highly talented Raphael Varane took over.
The presence of versatile defenders Nacho and Lucas Vazquez put Jesus' place within the team in jeopardy. Later, signing Alaba and Eder Militao hammered the final nail on Vellejo's hopes of finding a permanent place in the team.
The Zaragoza-native spent two brief loan spells at Granada before returning to Real Madrid before the start of the season. His last appearance was a late cameo against his former team Granada on 21st November 2021.
