Left-back, midfielder or sentry: Eduardo Camavinga is ready to serve in all positions. This versatility is a major asset, but the former player of Stade Rennes is much more than an element capable of helping out. Since the beginning of 2023, he has excelled at Real Madrid but also in the France team, where his match in Dublin against Ireland made an impression. While the Spanish team is opposed this Wednesday evening to Chelsea in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League (9 p.m.), he intends to continue his momentum.
Launched at the highest professional level when he was only 16 years old, Eduardo Camavinga has always been expected, and the turning point made in recent months seems to confirm his full potential. For Pablo Gallego, journalist at the Journal du Real interviewed by Le Point, the weight of the Madrid institution now seems well digested by the young player. “He is considered a very good pickaxe in Madrid. He arrived for 30 million euros, he took time to adapt to the climate and the context of the club, but it makes sense when you arrive at only 18 years old. Today, the club realizes that it was not mistaken about him. »
This is the advantage of making a good career choice, Camavinga 20 years old he has already finished the game. ? Champions League ? Liga ? European Super Cup ? Spanish Super Cup ? Club World Cup ??Copa del Rey (May 6) pic.twitter.com/aoQBRucBsd
At a press conference last January, his coach Carlo Ancelotti praised his physical qualities, but also his generous mentality on the pitch. “Enthusiasm is a quality. He tries to cut a lot of passes. Sometimes it can happen that he gets a yellow card, but I think he’s a very decent player in that sense. He is quite aggressive because he has a lot of energy, and sometimes that happens. »
Still, it took time for Camavinga to become one of the first names Ancelotti ticked off his scoresheet. Despite remarkable performances off the bench, the 2022 vice-world champion had difficulty confirming as a holder. “He was a sort of ‘supersub’ in the Champions League,” explains Pablo Gallego. He came home and he made a lot of difference with his enthusiasm. But when Camavinga started a match, he had a lot more trouble. This year, he has proven that you can trust him from the start of a game. We can see that when he returned from the World Cup, he took advantage of Tchouaméni’s decline in form to settle in number 6, with Kroos and Modric in front of him. »
In the long term, observers are calling for an association of the two young French internationals in a double pivot. The Madrid coach also mentioned this track, but has not tried it yet.
If he has clearly improved in terms of consistency, the player trained at Stade Rennes does not want to leave anything to chance and maximize his performance, as he told RMC. “I’m hard on myself. You can tell me that I had a good game, if for me I had a bad game, I had a bad game. And to say that I had a good match, I really have to have had a very good match. Especially in the last 30 meters, when I’m not shooting, I know I’m going to get reprimanded by my brother (…) but first, it’s my self-criticism that counts. »
Even if he prefers to evolve in the midfield, Eduardo Camavinga has also agreed to be used as a side this season. With his left foot and his determination, he manages to do much more than fill the gaps. “He’s a fabulous Swiss army knife, a bit like Nacho, who can play in all defensive positions. Against Barça in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg, he was on the left side and produced a remarkable performance. Passes, tackles, interceptions… He was amazing. We feel that he is now playing free and it is a boon for Real to have such a player in his ranks. »
While Didier Deschamps had initially placed him in the defenders for the Les Bleus rally last month, his performance as number 6 against Ireland undoubtedly shuffled the cards in his mind. In club and selection, Eduardo Camavinga is now advancing on conquered ground and is aiming for a second success in a row in the Champions League. From the height of his 20 years, it would be anything but trivial.
