Not even Tite, who is demonstrating an unwavering faith in Militao (at least, more than Zidane has) since he first called him in September 2018, he sees him as an efficient right-back. “Militao has played 25 games at the center and is consolidating in that position. (…) I prefer central. As a side, in the last part of the field, I would have difficulties “, said the coach recently. Militao has distributed its efforts in the last seasons between those two positions, the side and central, but it was as central as dazzled to be signed by Madrid. It cost 50 million euros, arrived from Porto.
I was looking for Madrid with the 21-year-old central youth similar to the one he hit on the table with Pepe When he hired Portuguese for 30 million euros, in the summer of 2007, Everyone thought it was a lot of money for a central. Then, Pepe marked an era in Madrid, the origin of the winning streak of recent times by signing dupla with Ramos (Varane, was his substitute). With MilitaoFor now, history is being written in a different way. He has only been able to play 12 games since he landed in the Bernabeu.
Militao is, by far, the most expensive defender in the 118 years of history of Madrid. It cost 50 million euros. They follow in this classification their own Pepe, Coentrao, Danilo and Odriozola. All of them were paid 30. It is Militao, in addition, the sixth defense that has cost more in international football after Van Dijk (90, to Liverpool), Laporte and Mendy (both 70, both to City), and Walker and Stones (both 55, both to City).
Right side.
It was precisely Pepe's return to Porto that moved Militao to the right side. He already has experience in that position, where he worked in 15 meetings last season with the Dragons. Three of those matches were high-flying, the double showdown of Champions eighth against Roma and the quarterfinal against Liverpool. With Madrid debuts in that position. He already had to play a few minutes on the left side, however, against the Spaniard in the League. Mendy was expelled at the end of the match and Militao entered by Vinicius to cover that gap. Now, the losses of Nacho and Carvajal and the winter sale of Odriozola put Militao back in the shop window … and in need of demonstrating, as happened with Pepe, that Madrid was not wrong with him.