Jesus Vallejo
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Leadership comes naturally to Jesus Vallejo. The central defender was just 18 when his hometown club Real Zaragoza entrusted him with the captain’s armband, and his confidence and strong will to win have seen some position him as a long-term successor to Sergio Ramos as captain at Real Madrid.
That is still some way in the future, but the 20-year-old certainly showed enough on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt last season to suggest that he will be capable of performing when called upon in the upcoming campaign. Quick on the half-turn and strong and proactive in his defensive work, on the ball he is comfortable stepping out of defence and passing crisply into midfield.
Vallejo was handed Pepe’s old number 3 shirt upon rejoining Madrid this summer and while one would expect Ramos and Raphael Varane to begin the season as the first-choice pairing, Zinedine Zidane’s rotation policy should ensure that Vallejo soon gets a chance to impress.
