Dani Ceballos has never quite fit the profile of a guaranteed starter at the Bernabéu. He has always seemed more like a luxury piece—useful in bursts, a figure brought in to give Modrić or Kroos a breather, never truly the man to anchor Real Madrid’s midfield. Yet since Eduardo Camavinga’s recent injuries forced Carlo Ancelotti to shuffle the deck, the Spaniard has stepped into a role few expected him to fill: suddenly, Madrid have found their new source of calma, their pausa, in Dani Ceballos.
Toni Kroos has hung up his boots and Luka Modrić, an extraordinary champion of the last decade, is reaching the twilight of his extraordinary run. Around them stands a group of young, gifted midfielders—talented, yes, but still learning the craft of controlling the game’s rhythm at the elite level. It is a skill that requires time, patience, and the kind of quiet authority that cannot be rushed. Losing Camavinga’s incisive energy might have been a blow, but it opened a door for Ceballos, who has made his opportunities count.
Ceballos does not pile up goals or dominate highlight reels with line-breaking dribbles. Instead, his influence is measured and mature. His passing statistics from a recent 345-minute sample show a 93.9% pass accuracy, underlining a reliable distribution of the ball. In that time, he completed 322 successful passes, served up one chance, and even delivered one successful cross (33.3% accuracy from three attempts), contributing an understated sense of composure to a midfield in flux.
It might sound modest—one assist has yet to arrive, and his expected assists (xA) hover around 0.21. He’s not rattling the net (no shots, no goals), nor is he attempting the outlandish. His three successful dribbles at a 60% success rate indicate that he picks his moments rather than forcing them. With only one instance of being dispossessed and 11 fouls won, there is a clear sense of caution and intelligence in his play. In the defensive metrics, six tackles won at a 42.9% success rate, along with a 70.7% overall duel success, suggest decent solidity without dominance. It is all reflective of a player who keeps things ticking over, who eases the pace of the game, who provides that elusive pausa Madrid need.