'Inconsequential' Tchouameni blasted by ex-Real Madrid midfielder

Tom Weber

• 27 Feb 2024 16:28 GMT
• 3 min read

Aurelien Tchouameni has been described as "the most inconsequential player at Real Madrid" by a former midfielder.

The Frenchman arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2022 after deciding to snub Liverpool. Real Madrid shelled out €80 million to land Tchouameni, with the deal potentially rising to a whopping €100m.

Well into his second season at the club, the 24-year-old still divides opinion. An undeniably brilliant player on his day, Tchouameni often goes under the radar by virtue of his position and due to the fact that, this term at least, he has often had to deputise at centre-back amid an injury crisis in that department.

A defensive midfielder by trade, Tchouameni has done a mostly admirable job filling in in the backline, with Carlo Ancelotti recently joking that he would like to keep him there permanently. In Los Blancos' most recent game against Sevilla, the Frenchman was back in his natural midfield role, but he came in for some scathing criticism after the match.

'Inconsequential'

Tchouameni was slammed by former Real Madrid midfielder Alvaro Benito, who was on the books at the Santiago Bernabeu for more than a decade in the 1990s. The player-turned-pundit suggested that match-winner Luka Modric should start over the 'inconsequential' Frenchman.

“Tchouaméni deserves more bench than Modric. He returned to play in his position and he seems to me to be the most inconsequential player at Real Madrid. After two seasons at the club, I still don’t dare say what his strengths are. I have to be demanding with a starting player at Madrid.”

Despite Benito's criticism, Tchouameni has firmly established himself as a crucial pillar in Ancelotti's side and a guarantor of success. Los Blancos are yet to lose when the 24-year-old has started a game this season, their two defeats so far (both to Atletico) coming with Tchouameni as a substitute.