Until January 30, the day of Real Madrid's last defeat so far, against Levante, Nacho and Militao have played 808 and 444 minutes respectively.. The sum of the minutes of both (1,252) was less than the individual minutes of the ten players most used by Zidane until then. The youth squad was 14th in that ranking and the Brazilian was 19th. Two and a half months later at the most crucial moment of the season, with a Champions League quarter-finals tie against Liverpool and a Clásico against Barcelona with half the league at stake, the central pair have risen to the top. The youth squad is, along with Courtois, the only player who has played every minute since that defeat. The Brazilian has taken advantage of the unfortunate absence of Varane, positive for COVID, to dispel the doubts that there were about him, fueled by his expulsion that night against Levante.
Life has changed for the versatile and always ready Nacho from one season to another. A one club man that last season he had his most discreet year since he finally made the jump to the Real Madrid first team. He barely enjoyed 684 minutes spread over ten games. Enough time, in any case, to leave their contribution to League 34. Madrid achieved the victory by the minimum (0-1) on matchday 21 at Valladolid thanks to a goal from Nacho, who immediately went to embrace Zidane to celebrate the goal. One more sample of your commitment. Limping due to injuries for a good part of the season, he did not play again until the inconsequential (for whites) last league game at Levante.
This exercise, the incessant losses at the rear have opened the opportunity for him to enter the eleven with some regularity and an outstanding performance at 31 years old. He started the season as a full-back in the absence of Carvajal, but his own injury in the Clásico of the first round, at the Camp Nou, revealed an exalted Lucas Vázquez. Then came the window that opened with Ramos' injuries, first when the captain was injured in the hamstring in November and later when, with the captain's knee problems, Militao lost his status as third center back after the red that he left with ten the whites against Levante. Since then, Nacho has played it all: 14 out of 14. The curse that weighed on Madrid without Ramos in the Champions League is a thing of the past. Even with the captain available, the youth squad, who has a contract until 2022, found accommodation in defense with three centrals that Zidane arranged. In total, he has played 24 games, all but one as a starter.
Two years and a month after his signing (Madrid announced their agreement with Porto on March 14, 2019), Militao, 23, begins to justify the 50 million it cost his transfer, the most expensive defender in the history of Real Madrid. His performance at the Portuguese club and his scoring ability supported him: five goals in his season with the Dragoes, two of them in Champions. With the white jersey, on the other hand, he did not make his debut in front of the rival goal until the Cup tie against Alcoyano. In his first year he alternated brilliant performances, as in San Mamés, with other more gray ones. When he returned from confinement, his horizon was in the round of 16 of the Champions League against Manchester City, which Ramos could not play due to suspension. His solvent party was overshadowed by the unfortunate night of Varane.
The season did not start in the best way for Militao, who participated in the defeats against Cádiz and Shakhtar at the Di Stéfano. He returned to play against Huesca, before two and a half months unprecedented due to injuries and Zidane's technical decisions. With Ramos injured, he returned in the Cup and in the visit to Alavés, but the expulsion against Levante left him marked. He left the door open to Nacho and he consolidated himself as the starter. The positive of Varane, who if he tests negative this Friday will be able to rejoin the team with a view to being on Sunday (9:00 p.m., Movistar LaLiga) in Getafe, presented him with the test at the most important moment of the season. An exam from which Militao, which already has 830 minutes played, comes out reinforced.