During the 3-1 defeat to AC Milan in the Champions League, midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni was booed by the Santiago Bernabeu fans. It is a situation that many club legends such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and Iker Casillas have experienced. However, for a 24-year-old player, the French star will be under a lot of pressure.
The defeat did not necessarily come from Tchouameni's mistakes, but he was the one who received the most attention when he made a wrong pass, contributing to Milan's second goal. Before that, the midfielder born in 2000 also failed to block Christian Pulisic's corner kick, creating an opportunity for Malick Thiaw to score the opening goal.
Tchouameni was substituted in the first half after his mistake. He also suffered a sprained ankle and will be out for at least a month. In fact, the French star is not the first player to be booed by the Bernabeu crowd for his performance and probably won't be the last.
However, the question is how Tchouameni, a player who was once highly expected, has fallen into this situation and how coach Carlo Ancelotti will look to replace him for the upcoming series of matches, including the important match against Liverpool in the Champions League at the end of November.
Aurelien Tchouameni joined Real Madrid from AS Monaco in 2022 for a transfer fee of up to €80 million (not including add-ons of up to €20 million). He is expected to inherit the defensive midfield position after Casemiro left Los Blancos.
Last season, Tchouameni played a lot in the centre-back position when the team was in a personnel crisis due to injuries. However, the injury suffered in the match against Barcelona in October 2023 has significantly affected his stability and form.
The 24-year-old midfielder missed last year's Champions League final after an injury. After treatment, Tchouameni returned to the squad but was still affected and missed several important matches with the French national team. A Real Madrid source said the club were trying to adjust the workload to avoid Tchouameni's injury recurring.
Toni Kroos' retirement in the summer of 2024 has forced Tchouameni to take on a more central role in the squad, particularly in terms of accurate passing and long passes, which Kroos once excelled at.
However, the French star's playing style is more defensive and is considered to be the most similar to Casemiro among the three legends of Real Madrid's midfield. The coaching staff does not blame him for the team's failures but believes that Los Blancos are currently a "difficult problem" with many problems coming at the same time and requiring a synchronous solution.
Tchouameni is seen as a gem in need of polishing and the Real Madrid board have no doubts about his importance to the future of the team. Premier League giants Chelsea and Liverpool have expressed interest in him. However, the 24-year-old midfielder is determined to dedicate himself to Real.
Tchouameni will now have to rest to recover from his injury and will miss the upcoming matches against Osasuna, Leganes, Liverpool, Getafe and Athletic Bilbao. The French star's recovery in fitness and form will be crucial as Real Madrid are devastated by the storm of injuries.
