Ranking Real Madrid's 5 best players against Atletico Madrid | La Liga 2021-22

#3 Thibaut Courtois

FC Barcelona v Real Madrid CF - LaLiga Santander

Real Madrid were in control of proceedings against Atletico Madrid, but that does not mean Atletico did not try their luck at goal. The visitors simply came up short as they could not get the better of Real Madrid’s undisputed number 1: Thibaut Courtois.

Courtois enjoyed a rather uneventful first-half and was only called into action once in the first 45. However, in the second half, he had to be on his toes on several occasions.

The Belgian shot-stopper made four saves from inside the box in the second 45. He also made two clearances and won an aerial duel en route to his fourth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions.

#2 Luka Modric

Real Madrid CF v Club Atletico de Madrid - La Liga Santander

Luka Modric did not score or assist for Real Madrid against Atletico on Sunday but still emerged as one of their most influential performers. The 36-year-old is defying the odds by being this good in the twilight of his career. It was as if he was teaching all aspiring footballers a lesson in midfield mastery.

The Croatian captain was all over the pitch for Real Madrid on Sunday. He linked up effortlessly with Toni Kroos, kept the game flowing, and was regularly dropping deep to cover for Dani Carvajal.

Over the course of the match, Modric took 95 touches, provided seven long balls, completed four dribbles, won nine duels, and made three interceptions. The Croatian was unplayable both in attack and defense, proving conclusively that for him, age is nothing but a number.

#1 Vinicius Junior

Real Madrid CF v Club Atletico de Madrid - La Liga Santander

From an indecisive teenager to one of Real Madrid’s most lethal forwards — Vinicius Junior’s transition has been nothing short of extraordinary. The young Brazilian has been at the heart of every impressive passage of play this season and the trend continued against Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

Despite being monitored closely by former Real Madrid man Marcos Llorente, Vinicius Jr. created both of Los Blancos’ goals against Atletico. In the 16th minute, Vinicius got the ball in the middle of the park and darted down the right flank. He lobbed the ball cutely into the Atletico box, allowing Benzema to dispatch a venomous volley and wheel away in celebration.

His second assist of the night came in the 57th minute, thanks to Luka Jovic’s smart hold-up play. Having received the ball from the Serbian, Vinicius went around Llorente to curl the ball into Asensio inside the box. The Spaniard hit it the first time to tank Atletico for good. Setting up two goals in the match took Vinicius’ assists-tally to nine in all competitions.