Who is Mariano? The heir to Real Madrid’s iconic No.7 shirt

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In a move that has shocked everyone, Mariano Diaz has re-signed for Real Madrid.

Los Blancos were on the lookout for another forward after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus, but many expected it to be a high-profile player, a true Galactico to help Madrid actually challenge on two fronts again. Instead, they’ve “done a Monchi” and headed to Ligue 1 to sign a relatively unknown player who has just had a very impressive season.

Except they already knew the player, because they sold him to Lyon just one year ago. Now he’s here and will be wearing the legendary no. 7 of Juanito, Emilio Butragueno, Raúl and Cristiano Ronaldo.

But who exactly is Mariano Diaz? What is his playing style and where does he fit in at Julen Lopetegui’s Real Madrid?

Playing Style

Mariano is a Spanish-born Dominican international. A former Castilla graduate at Madrid, he featured in a handful of games under Zinedine Zidane in 2016/17 before being sold to Lyon.

His profile makes you think he’s, what, 22? But he’s actually 25 so well into the physical prime of his career, which explains the huge jump in production he experienced when he moved to France.

He’s a quick forward who likes to run with the ball, yet he’s also very good in the air too. He’s got good goalscoring instincts; one can see him picking up a lot of tap-ins where he finds himself in the right place at the right time.

Most relevantly, Mariano possesses a phenomenal shooting technique. He’s definitely more of a “scorer of great goals” than a “great goalscorer” – but sometimes what a team needs most is someone who can let fly from 30 yards and have a reasonably good chance of it actually finding the back of the net!

The man he replaces did both.

Ideal XI

Mariano’s ideal XI would be close to Real Madrid’s first-choice XI, but with a few alternatives. Obviously, Thibaut Courtois is in goal; the Belgian hasn’t yet featured for Los Blancos this season but one suspects he will be integrated into the team after the international break.

3/4 of the defence is the usual, with Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos anchoring the back-line whilst Marcelo dominates the left-flank as per usual. On the right, however, Mariano would be better suited by the presence of Alvaro Odriozola. The young Spaniard would inject more drive and attacking ideas than the more straightforward play of Dani Carvajal.

In midfield Casemiro holds and provides the tackles he always does to ensure the team isn’t overrun without the ball, whilst Luka Modric is in charge of making the teamwork. Toni Kroos sits this one out, however, and Isco comes in his place. This move is to add more attacking drive to the side, as Isco is Madrid’s best ball-carrier and incredible at threading passes to unleash wingers and forwards alike.

Out wide, Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio provide the width. Asensio in a more orthodox sense and Bale with the freedom to move inside or outside, shooting or creating. This gives Madrid a hint of unpredictability and creates numerous channels of creativity that can provide Mariano with the chances he needs to thrive.

Winners and Losers

Winner: Karim Benzema

What a vote of confidence for Karim Benzema! The Frenchman has become an understated Real Madrid legend, putting up impressive numbers and performing in big games, it’s just he was routinely overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo doing the same things… but more.

Still, in Cristiano’s absence many expected Los Blancos to sign a star forward, instead they’ve signed Mariano. Now, the youngster is obviously talented, but this points to Benzema remaining as the club’s first-choice no. 9 – which is good for him.

Loser: Mauro Icardi

As much as Benzema will be happy, Mauro Icardi will not. The Argentine forward is finally going to play in the Champions League with Inter, but he knows his situation is precarious as they may not qualify again. Meanwhile, had he gotten the dream move to Madrid he would be playing at the top table every season, with a genuine chance to score an obscene amount of goals and truly arrive as a world-class striker.

Winner: Valdebebas

Real Madrid’s youth academy isn’t quite as impressive as Barcelona’s La Masia and Athletic Club’s Lezama, but it nevertheless produces many quality players. These players don’t usually get a chance in the Madrid first-team these days as more than a back-up, but they definitely fill those squad roles (and starting roles elsewhere).

Mariano’s return is another feather in the Valdebebas cap, especially if he can go on to have the kind of impressive career that Dani Carvajal has managed.

Loser: Borja Mayoral

What must be so galling if you’re Borja Mayoral is all this talk about Real Madrid needing to sign a striker, because he was a striker already at the club! Mayoral was unlikely to develop into a world-beater but had the capacity to be a decent back-up (and at 21 he is four years younger than Mariano with a greater capacity to grow).

Now he has just a couple of days left to find himself a new club or he’ll face half a season of sitting on the bench, watching Mariano eat up his minutes.

Winner: Mariano

The final winner has to be Mariano. Being let go in your mid-20’s at Madrid is usually a sign that you won’t be making it at that level; but Mariano was so good for Lyon (well, for half a season anyway) that he’s now got a second chance to prove he’s good enough to be a Real Madrid player.

Moreover, taking no. 7 shirt sees him stepping into a legendary position. Only four men have worn that shirt since the late 70’s, and each of them (Juanito, Emilio Butragueno, Raúl and Cristiano Ronaldo) are absolute legends of the club. Madrid allowing him to wear that hallowed shirt speaks to the confidence they must have in him, and his potential to grow beyond a back-up into a starting striker for Real Madrid.

The post Who is Mariano? The heir to Real Madrid’s iconic No.7 shirt appeared first on Squawka News.



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