Gonzalo Garcia, a throwback to the classic No.9, a Karim Benzema heir keeping Kylian Mbappe relegated to the bench in Club World Cup

Indian Express

21 hours ago

At the start of the Club World Cup, punters would have put a safe bet on a Real Madrid player leading the Golden Boot charts. However, few would have hedged their chances on a 21-year-old Gonzalo Garcia as being that player in a team filled with Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham.
Bursting into the Madrid first team due to the absence of Mbappe in the group stages of the tournament as he was unwell and hospitalised, Garcia has become one of the key aspects of new coach Xabi Alonso's set up in a Los Blancos shirt. The 6ft striker has given Real a get out-of-jail card, playing as a proper No.9, something the club has sorely lacked since the heady days of Karim Benzema. It was also one of the reasons that they were dumped out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals, scoring just once while conceding 5 across 2 legs against Arsenal.
But with Alonso preferring a forward who can work tirelessly on and off the ball, Garcia has fit right into that mould. With the sun beating down mercilessly on the players in an unforgiving US climate, the lanky Spaniard can be seen running endlessly from one end to the other, pressing hard to get the ball while also tracking back to help with the defensive duties, a trait that Vinicius and Mbappe mostly lack.
Garcia has scored 4 times and assisted once in the Club World Cup which might not be enough for him to snag a regular place in the starting lineup in the upcoming season, such is the competition at Real. But it's a start. Alonso has seen something special in the youngster which was why he got the nod to start against Borussia Dortmund in the quarter final over a recuperated Mbappe.
⚽ GONZALO GARCÍA STRIKES EARLY!
10th minute, 4th goal of the tournament — this young man is on fire! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SWqxpqKQJj
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) July 5, 2025
And he reposed the faith of his manager when he scored in just ten minutes, leaping into the air and guiding a through lob by Arda Guler into the Dortmund net. It almost made him look Erling Haaland-esque with the way he finished the move, with every sinew of his body screaming to get a touch of the ball. And when he did reach it, it was pure symphony.
Garcia first came into the limelight when he came off the bench to score a late winner in Real's Copa del Rey match against Leganes, helping the club win 3-2 in the quarterfinal. After the match, he had said that Cristiano Ronaldo and Mbappe were two of his idols. With the goal against Dortmund on Saturday, he became the first Los Blancos player since Ronaldo in 2016 to score four goals in a single edition of the Club World Cup. Not too bad for a player who might have been relegated to the bench had Mbappe not suffered acute gastroenteritis at the start of the tournament.
Garcia has always been a goal scoring machine, netting 25 times in 36 appearances for Real Madrid Castilla, the reserve team of the 15-time Champions League winners. But his work rate is something that has caught the eye of Xabi Alonso.
Operating as a proper No.9 when the ball is inside or near the opposition penalty box, Garcia has a trait that makes him a closer fit to Benzema. While at Real, the Frenchman had an uncanny ability to create room for players like Vinicius, acting as a decoy while dragging defenders away with him. Garcia has that same quality, pressing hard and looking to run in behind the defences while pulling away opponent stoppers with him which gives the other players the space to work with.
With his talent still raw and in need of a little bit of polish, Garcia might not be a regular starter when the La Liga and Champions League comes around in the upcoming season, he will be a pretty valuable player off the bench for Alonso. This will also ultimately bode well for the team in total with Vini and Mbappe afforded enough rest throughout the increasingly gruelling football calendar.
Real have a star on their hands and more importantly, a true-blue No.9, capable of replicating the success of the legendary Raul. But only if nurtured right.