Who is Real Madrid's Gonzalo Garcia? Could he disrupt galactico unit of Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe after starring at Club World Cup?
Updated 07/07/2025 at 15:23 GMT+1
The FIFA Club World Cup is into the knockout rounds, and has thrown up some unexpected events. Fluminense beating Inter, Manchester City succumbing to Al Hilal - and a Real Madrid forward not called Kylian Mbappe pulling up trees. That man is the relatively unknown youngster Gonzalo Garcia, who has been given his chance by new boss Xabi Alonso. We dive into the detail around the club's new star.
Garcia enjoying 'opportunity of a lifetime' after match-winning display
Video credit: SNTV
Leading the line for arguably the biggest club side in the world, in your first global senior tournament? A task that is seemingly plain sailing for Real Madrid's newest star, Gonzalo Garcia.
The youngster scored in Real's opener against Al Hilal, recorded an assist in the second game as he helped his 10-man side to beat Pachuca, scored again in Los Merengues' stroll against RB Salzburg, and then hit the only goal of the game as his side edged past Juventus in the last 16.
As if all that wasn't enough, he also opened the scoring against Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals, and is currently the joint-top goal scorer at the tournament.
Much of the pre-Club World Cup talk was about how Xabi Alonso would embed his highest-profile recruit - Trent Alexander-Arnold - into his starting XI, but Garcia, just 21, has come from leftfield to kick off an altogether different talking point.
And that is the composition of Los Blancos' frontline, with questions around how this congested area will look with Kylian Mbappe still slowly reintegrating into the team after illness.
Who is Garcia, where has he come from, and what could his considerable impact at the Club World Cup mean for Real in the season ahead?
Xabi's trust in youth
"Real Madrid fans are delighted with Gonzalo Garcia," begins Nacho Ortiz Escobar, from Eurosport Spain.
"Along with [Dean] Huijsen, he was the best player in the two matches against Pachuca and Al Hilal.
"There's a chance he'll stay at Real Madrid and not go out on loan, as seemed to be the initial plan.
"With Xabi Alonso, a new era begins for all the players.
"Carlo Ancelotti has always been known for being a coach with a strong sense of hierarchy and was sometimes criticised for not fully investing in some of the youth players from Real's academy, 'La Fabrica'."
The latter point is a salient one, as given how well Garcia performed last season for Castilla, Real's reserve team - hitting 25 goals in 36 games with four assists - he might have been expected to feature more often for the first team in the 2024/25 campaign than the 53 minutes he managed in La Liga.
With Arda Guler a key man in Real's run so far in the USA, Alonso - in comparison to Ancelotti - is showing more of a penchant for trusting in youth in the embryonic phase of his tenure.
Rodrygo on the outside?
Rodrygo - a hitherto undroppable lieutenant under Ancelotti - was the man to be taken off when Real needed a goal in their first game against Al Hilal, with Garcia remaining on the grass.
The Brazilian was then benched for the second game, not even appearing as a substitute, with Alonso seemingly going for more solidity down the right, with Guler and Fede Valverde in front of Alexander-Arnold.
For the final group game, Rodrygo was again on the bench, seeing just over 20 minutes of action when the game was already won.
The Brazilian didn't even make it onto the pitch against Juve, and only came on in the 86th minute against Dortmund.
Amid rumours of Arsenal being interested in the winger, how might Garcia's emergence change Rodrygo's future?
"The forward most in trouble is Rodrygo," adds Ortiz Escobar.
"He doesn't seem to have a place if he doesn't return to his best form, with Vini and Mbappe appearing to be undisputed starters in the starting lineup."
It is a situation worth monitoring as the tournament progresses.
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Rodrygo still goes under the radar for Real - Carney
Video credit: TNT Sports
The influence of Raul
Garcia first joined the Real Madrid academy in 2014, and barring one season spent at Mallorca, has been at the club ever since.
It is worth noting that the Spain junior international has spent his recent period at Real Madrid working under Castilla boss Raul, scorer of 323 senior goals for the club during a storied 18-year career.
As such, it is likely there has been significant wisdom transfer between the pair, and it goes some way to explaining how Garcia has not seemed overawed by the psychological demands of ascending to the first team, which are just as much of a consideration as the footballing imperative.
Garcia confirmed as much after the Juve clash, saying: "Raul is a Madrid legend and it’s a great compliment to be compared to him.
"I have had the opportunity to share a dressing room with him as a coach these last two years and he has taught me a lot of things."
Alonso has also said that Garcia "reminds me of Raul in many ways."
Raul left his post with Castilla back in May after six years, but if the likes of Garcia continue their upward trajectory, then his coaching legacy may well be seen years after he has gone.
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