Eduardo Camavinga
Real Madrid, 2021-
Having spent five years in the Stade Rennes academy, Eduardo Camavinga became the youngest first-team player in the club’s history when he made his debut at the age of 16 in April 2019. A year and a half later, the midfielder continued his remarkable rise as Didier Deschamps handed him his international debut at 17. Camavinga then became the youngest player to earn a France cap since 1945.
His signing for Real Madrid at the age of 19 hardly came as a surprise, then, and he swiftly looked at home on the grandest stage. Camavinga was still not even 20 years old when he played a significant role off the bench in Real Madrid's knockout-stage comeback wins over Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City on their way to Champions League glory in 2021/22.
In his second season at Real Madrid, he got his first experience of the World Cup, where he played two games for France, including the final. His manager, Carlo Ancelotti, knows just how much ability Camavinga has: "He's young, but he has a lot of quality. For us, he is untouchable, like Modric or Kroos."
Technical analysis
Camavinga has played much of his best football as a defensive midfielder, playing in front of a back four, with number eights either side of him. He also experience as an eight in a 4-3-3, and as one of the two pivots in a 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1. When he plays as a six, he likes to drop towards the centre-backs to ask for the ball close, and then looks to move the ball between the lines by playing forwards.
He is extremely comfortable on the ball; he glides forward with it, using the outside of his left foot to touch the ball forwards. He trusts himself to keep the ball even when he takes bigger touches, knowing that if an opponent jumps out to try to win the ball, he has the acceleration and a big enough stride to retain it. He protects the ball by moving it away from his opponent and pivoting on his right foot, while using his outstretched left foot to keep it out of reach of the defender.
Due to his position at the heart of the team, he makes most of his passes along the floor and over distances of under 20 metres (above). He doesn’t just play simple passes, though. He stands out for the quality and accuracy of his passing, but also for how much impact he has on games – in particular, how many passes he makes that spark a move into life. When he plays longer passes he is slightly less adventurous, but he maintains impressive accuracy.
An alternative position: left-back
Despite preferring to play in central midfield, Camavinga has shown in recent times just how versatile he is by playing both for Real Madrid and France at left-back. At the Qatar World Cup in 2022, he showed he can fill in at full-back on the biggest of stages, while he has also played high-profile games at left-back for Real Madrid.
He doesn’t fit the usual profile of a full-back, but he is comfortable on the ball and happy to do a job there if that’s what his manager asks of him. He is intelligent with his positioning, so doesn’t get caught out of position, but a team will inevitably lose some of the attacking potential Camavinga provides in the centre of the park when he starts in the back line.
Of course, he isn’t a typical left-back. He prefers to move into advanced positions, and also comes inside to receive in central areas. At Real Madrid, Ancelotti has played Camavinga as an attacking weapon at left-back, with the youngster given lots of freedom and specific instructions to get forward and create overloads with Vinícius Júnior on the flank (above). Camavinga will tend to come inside, with Vinícius looking to get into space out wide.
All-round game as a six
Camavinga does his best work between both penalty areas. That is, he is an all-round midfielder who doesn’t really have much impact close to goal and doesn’t do much last-ditch defending. His job is instead to focus on protecting the defence and creating chances – or playing the pass before a chance – for his team. At the time of writing, Camavinga has scored just four goals in his entire top-flight career – which, as mentioned above, began in 2019.
As a number six, his ability on the ball allows him to dictate his team's play in the opposition half. When the centre-backs can play past the opposition’s first line without him dropping into defence, he picks the ball up in front of the opposition’s midfield, and looks to find teammates in more advanced positions between the lines (above). He also moves from side to side to offer support, and acts as the player through whom his team can switch play.
His technique when making attempts to win the ball could be improved, as he has a tendency to use only his stronger foot. This can sometimes lead to him taking up a poor body shape, leaving him too square if his opponent jinks quickly to change direction. His eagerness to try and win the ball back can also come at the cost of him forcing play in the wrong direction. Instead of simply looking to slow play down or guiding the opposition towards the flank, he will too often look to steal the ball and is occasionally beaten by his opponent as a result (below). Of course, he often wins the ball at the first attempt, which is extremely beneficial to his team. He also has the pace to compensate for mistakes by making a quick recovery run to get back goalside.
He is an effective counter-pressing midfielder, and will quickly close the ball down after a teammate loses it. He anticipates these moments exceptionally well, and shows similarly good reading of the game when required to move wide to cover underneath an advanced full-back. His anticipation also helps his team when he battles for second balls in front of his own defence.
Central midfield or number eight
There is still plenty of time for Camavinga to prove exactly what his best position is, but some already see him as a number eight rather than a six.
He is so calm on the ball that he can receive under pressure between the lines, so in that sense he is well-suited to playing higher up the pitch. He can receive on the half-turn, and carries the ball confidently to progress play in tight areas. Although he does plenty of important work as a defensive midfielder, playing as an eight arguably gets even more from his strengths.
In more advanced positions, Camavinga gets into areas where he can create attacking overloads. There, his ability in close combinations helps his team unlock defences.
Though he rarely makes the final pass or has a shot, he does great work in releasing natural attackers who can more of have an impact in the box (above). He is a player who likes to take risks with his passing, so with the security of a defensive midfielder such as Aurélien Tchouaméni behind him, he is able to take such risks more often. Equally, when he makes overeager attempts to win the ball and is beaten, it is better for the team if he has a six playing behind him.
Camavinga’s evolution as a player and how he manages the development of the defensive side of his game will define his best position on the field. Until that happens, however, there is no doubt that he remains a consistently high-level performer wherever he plays. He will only become an even more important player for Real Madrid and France than he already is.
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