Ceballos: My goal is to wear the Real Madrid shirt

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 2 min read

Dani Ceballos insists his intention is to return to Real Madrid and be a success at the Santiago Bernabeu after first enjoying some success on loan at Arsenal.

The Spaniard is currently in his second loan spell with the Gunners, having joined on a temporary basis for both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns.

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He had been deemed surplus to requirements at Real Madrid under Zinedine Zidane, but Ceballos is determined to break into the first team with the capital club upon his return from London.

“I signed a long contract with Madrid. I have two and a half years left,” Ceballos told Cadena SER.

“My goal is to succeed at Arsenal. My wish is to wear the Madrid shirt.

“For those of us from Madrid, the arrival of Zinedine Zidane been good for everyone. Each coach has his tastes of players. He told me that he needed me to play and get minutes. He was clear with me.”

Ceballos does believe he is in the perfect place to develop at the moment, though, as Mikel Arteta’s management matches his style of play.

“Mikel is a coach that suits me like a glove because he played in the same position as me,” the 24-year-old continued.

“He wants us to play forwards when we steal [the ball].”

The Spanish midfielder had been allowed to leave Real Madrid after finding himself down the pecking order at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Zidane preferring to use the likes of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Casemiro, and Fede Valverde for his central midfield roles.

Ceballos currently holds a 80 FC Rating on FootballCritic.

Arsenal have endured a tumultuous campaign so far as they are currently 11th in the Premier League table, having won just seven out of their opening 17 matches.

They are, however, enjoying their best form of the season at the moment as they have won three in a row against Chelsea, Brighton, and West Brom, with Ceballos starting both latter games.