5 players who don’t get enough game time at Real Madrid

#3 Vinicius Jr

Levante UD v Real Madrid CF - La Liga

It still seems like yesterday when Real Madrid announced the signing of this outrageously talented Brazilian, who, after making enough waves in his homeland, earned the title of "the next Neymar" and was on his way to one of Europe’s biggest clubs at the tender age of 18.

Fast forward to nearly three whole years later, the jury is still very much out on Vinicius, and although the Brazilian is still just 20 he’s yet to fully settle under Zidane, who is said to have sidelined him after he caught the youngster texting during a team talk. There have been flashes of brilliance from Vinicius, including runs that have left defenders for dead, but he’s still to replicate the form he displayed under Santiago Solari – which was undoubtedly the best of his career – for Zidane.

With Vinicius’ best position still in doubt (he was even moved to right-wing back in the recent game against Getafe), it’s clear that he needs more time at Madrid to hit the gear that he hit under Solari. Only time will tell if that’ll be with Zidane or another manager. The youngster seemed to link up well with Benzema, who accused the Brazilian of ‘playing against his teammates’ in a furious rant captured by mics during the Champions League tie against Borussia Monchengladbach back in October.

With Hazard a shadow of the player he was at Chelsea, it could very well be Vinicius who makes the left spot his own, provided he’s given enough time.

#2 Mariano Diaz

Rayo Vallecano de Madrid v Real Madrid CF - La Liga

Mariano’s situation is a bit of a tricky one. After spending a good part of his youth in Real Madrid's youth system where he put on some scintillating displays, the striker was finally promoted to the first team by Zidane during the 2016/17 season following a back injury to Karim Benzema.

However, he was limited to just 8 first team appearances before being sold to Lyon the following season. Now, in his second stint with Los Blancos, the writing is pretty much on the wall for Mariano. The 27-year-old clearly isn’t destined to be the first choice for Madrid, and a striker of his caliber deserves to be playing every week. The lack of game time is clearly telling on Mariano’s form, with the striker netting a paltry six goals since his return to Madrid back in 2018.

With Zidane heavily favoring Benzema and the Haaland/Mbappe links refusing to die down, Mariano needs to think long and hard about his future. The striker has plenty left in the tank and as he approaches his peak years, he’ll want to spend most of it off the bench. If he doesn’t get enough time at Real Madrid as their season winds to a close, then a move away would suit everyone. Not that there is a shortage of suitors.

#1 Isco

Real Madrid v Manchester City - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg

One can’t have a list of players who don’t get enough time at Real Madrid without the inclusion of Isco.

The rate at which his stock has fallen is incredible. After arriving in Madrid amidst much fanfare back in 2013, having won the prestigious Golden Boy award a year earlier, Isco truly hit the ground running and helped the club win its fabled La Decima in his first season.

With three more Champions League titles, two La Liga triumphs and four Club World Cups victories later, Isco is now at a crossroads in his career. The midfielder is miles away from the scintillating 2016-2017 form that placed him as one of the finest players in his position, and with Zidane preferring Castilla graduate Sergio Arribas, Isco’s Los Blancos career certainly looks to be in its twilight stages even though some of his quality remains if the 2019/20 season is anything to go by.

Now is the time for him to justify his place at the club. With a place in Luis Enrique’s Euro 2020 squad looking extremely unlikely, Isco will need to pick up the pieces quickly in order to break into the national team once again in the future. Isco still has admirers in the form of Carlo Ancelotti and Julen Lopetegui, so if he continues to be deprived of game time at Madrid, a link up with one of his former managers would be in his best interests.