“The missing piece”, “Will be a Real Madrid legend” - Fans say they don’t want to watch France star again after 25-year-old star shines vs Osasuna
Many Real Madrid fans lavished praise on Fran Garcia and demanded his preference over Ferland Mendy after Los Blancos' 4-0 thrashing of Osasuna on November 9. The win at Santiago Bernabeu cemented their position at second place on the LaLiga table (27) - six points behind league leaders Barcelona (33).
One of the shining stars of the game was Fran Garcia. The La Fabrica graduate orchestrated the attack and the home side's defense from the left. His nifty footwork and brilliant positioning helped neutralize players like Ruben Pena and Jesus Areso. Garcia recorded 82 touches in the game with a passing accuracy of 89% (56/63).
Madridistas on social media raved about the left-back and implored coach Carlo Ancelotti to give him more minutes than Ferland Mendy. The Frenchman has been the regular starter this season. Despite playing 1041 minutes across competitions, he is yet to find a goal contribution and has mostly looked out of ideas going forward. He has accumulated a measly rating of 6.79 on Sofascore in LaLiga this season.
(The above stats are taken from Sofascore on November 9 and may be subject to change based on the website's prerogative.)
Some popular fan reactions on X praising Fran Garcia are as follows:
"He was the missing piece in our defence. I hope Ancelotti was paying attention," wrote a fan on X.
"Ancelotti has to insist about this guy. I follow him and probably he will be a Madrid legend someday," raved another.
"This is what happens when u give others the chance," commented another fan on X.
"He deserves to start," another Madridista chimed in.
Many fans compared him with Ferland Mendy and implored Ancelotti not to start the Frenchman.
"Better than Mendy," wrote one user.
"Never wanna see Mendy again after this," claimed another.
"Mendy should take notes," declared one netizen.
"Mendy should never start again," inferred another indivudual on X.
Vinicius Jr. was the star of the game, scoring a hattrick (34',61', and 69') and single-handedly taking the game away from the visitors. Jude Bellingham got on the scoresheet for the first time this season (42') to make it 4-0 for the home side.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti reveals why he left the club in 2015
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is widely regarded as one of the most decorated managers in history. He is the only manager to win titles in all of Europe's top five leagues.
The Italian tactician has managed Real Madrid across two stints - from 2013 to 2015 and from 2021 to present. He has won three Champions League titles (2014, 2022, 2024), two FIFA Club World Cups (2015 and 2023), and two LaLiga titles (2022 and 2024), among other honors. However, not everything has been smooth for the 65-year-old at the Santiago Bernabeu.
In an interview with France Football (via Metro), Ancelotti opened up about a 'mistake' during his first stint at the club. The alleged mistake was responsible for him leaving the club just a year after winning the much-awaited La Decima in the Champions League.
"It is impossible to make only good decisions in thirty years," he said. "For example, I had a bad one here in Madrid, after my first year. I was very close to extending my contract. The club wanted to keep me, but I pushed too hard in relation to my salary, and they stopped. It was a mistake, the worst I could have made. But it allowed me to learn."
Real Madrid will return to action after the international break when they face Leganes away in LaLiga on November 24.