Want to know how important Casemiro was to Real Madrid? Ask Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. Two-thirds of the most iconic midfield trio in modern football — with apologies to Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andres Iniesta — are now facing up to life without the man Modric called “the best bodyguard in the world.”
When reports of Manchester United‘s interest first surfaced, Kroos couldn’t wait: he texted Casemiro at 4 a.m., asking if it was true. He later posted eight photos on Instagram, all of Casemiro, Kroos and Modric posing with a different trophy. His caption: “You won’t find a lost final in this combination. Says it all! Gonna miss it. Gonna miss you.”
Casemiro — a player who landed in Madrid in January of 2013 as an unheralded and unknown midfielder originally slated to play for reserve team Castilla — leaves one of the most decorated players in the game and, at €70m, the second-most expensive footballer over the age of 30. Only one player — Madrid’s Paco Gento — has won more European Cups.
The Brazilian will be missed at the Bernabeu now he has moved to United, but a look at Real Madrid’s squad and performances over the past year suggests the ingredients are there to compensate for his loss.
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An indispensable figure for so long
It was seven years ago, in the 2015-16 season, that Casemiro set about making himself indispensable to Real Madrid’s midfield. There was competition for places that year, with Casemiro, Kroos and Modric joined by James Rodriguez, Isco and Mateo Kovacic in a packed squad, but it soon became apparent — notably with his absence in the 4-0 home defeat to Barcelona in November 2015 — that only the Brazilian’s inclusion brought balance to the team.
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Under manager Zinedine Zidane, the Casemiro/Kroos/Modric triumvirate became untouchable, coinciding with Madrid’s record-breaking run of three consecutive Champions League wins. Their 2016-17 season was his most eye-catching — scoring spectacular goals against Napoli and in the final against Juventus — while 2020-21 might have been his most influential, even finishing as the team’s second-highest scorer (7) behind Karim Benzema (30.)
Last year Casemiro’s form was more inconsistent, but he still made 230 ball recoveries in LaLiga, almost as many as Kroos (125) and Modric (123) combined. It was after ending the season on a high, with a LaLiga and Champions League double, that Casemiro first thought about leaving.
“I felt like a cycle had ended,” he said on Monday. “It was mission accomplished.”
