Diaz Puts Madrid on Notice: Ready to Lock a Starting Role Under Alonso

Diaz's late-year push

Ibrahim Diaz, Real Madrid's rising star, is closing the year with renewed motivation, buoyed by his recent form for the Moroccan national team, returning to Madrid with a clear intent to push Xabi Alonso and win a regular starting spot.

The player feels the current circumstances offer a perfect chance to prove himself and compete for one of the roles that still lacks a fixed occupant in the Basque manager's system; there is no room for surrender in Diaz's vocabulary, only drive, hope, and belief in his ability to force his way in.

According to AS, Diaz is entering the coming weeks aiming specifically at the right wing of the attack, the slot mostly occupied this season by Mastantuno (nine starts, 689 minutes), or Camavinga in the big matches; he shone in the Clasico, though he stumbled against Liverpool at Anfield.

Valverde is also expected to appear in this role when he steps back from the defensive right flank.

Nevertheless, this flank remains one of Diaz's favorite zones, despite starting only four times so far.

The paper notes that after Franco Mastantuno's adductor pain, Diaz realizes the opportunity and that the time is ripe to settle his own battle.

It added that the international break proved a restart for Diaz, who does not suffer from the FIFA virus but gains antibodies that give him a strong morale boost.

In Morocco, Diaz is treated as a star and a leader, shining in the 1-0 win over Mozambique, where his influence was notable even without a goal, and his back-heel pass set up a goal for Onahi.

In the win over Uganda 4-0, Diaz's presence was less pronounced, but he left the land with the customary ovation each time he wore the national jersey.

Diaz returned to Madrid with a stronger spirit and greater resolve to convince Alonso, who has a superb working relationship with him since his arrival. He even stated during the Club World Cup in the United States: "He is close to everyone and talks to everyone. What we discuss stays between us, but I am very happy to have him here."

Yet Diaz's ambition goes beyond a cordial relationship; he wants to convert this harmony into more playing time, echoing what Carlo Ancelotti did when he started from the bench and finished among the team's top five.

Though his profile matches Alonso's ideas—energy, pressing, skill, flexibility—Diaz has only 423 minutes this season, the fifteenth most used, and he seeks more.

Diaz's numbers

Thanks to his goal against Kairat in Almaty and two decisive passes against Oviedo and Villarreal, Diaz is involved in a goal every 144 minutes, down from 163 this season's earlier tally. He scores or assists at roughly 0.64 per 90 minutes, trailing Mbappé (1.29), Gonzalo (0.84), Gulder (0.74), and Vinicius (0.71); ahead of Bellingham (0.64), Valverde (0.54), Rodrygo (0.3).

Although his current numbers do not reach what he produced in 2023-24 when he was involved in a goal every 98 minutes, Diaz has leveraged opportunities well and is chasing more.

Confidence

There is complete faith in Diaz at Real Madrid regarding both present and future. This is mirrored by renewal talks already agreed, as AS revealed. Before the contract extension for the player, due to 2027, the two sides met and reached an agreement awaiting official announcement; Real Madrid believes in Diaz, and the player in Real Madrid, while Alonso's arrival has strengthened this mutual bet.

Real Madrid squad

Alonso's official list for the Elche match shows some absentees due to injury: Oriein Chuamini, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, Franco Mastantuno are out. The King will travel to Elche for a match to restore positive results.

The official Real Madrid squad for Elche includes: Goalkeepers: Courtois, Lunin, Mistri. Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Raul Assensio, Alvaro Carreras, Fran Garcia, Ferland Mendy, Hussein. Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Fede Valverde, Arda Guler, Dani Ceballos. Forwards: Vinicius Junior, Endrick, Kylian Mbappé, Rodrygo, Gonzalo, Ibrahim Diaz.