Gonzalo, to the third

The third time is the charm, or so they say. Gonzalo Garciareturns to a script that he knows very well. With Mbappe injured and out of dynamic causes his name to appear on the table. It happened to him in the Club World Cup, where four goals turned a Castilla striker into one of the most mentioned footballers of the summer. It happened again throughout the season, with sporadic appearances every time the Frenchman showed some discomfort —and it is not a minor detail that all his goals with the white jersey have come precisely in those absences of Kylian—.

And now, with Mbappé’s semi-tendinosus out of combat and Espanyol waiting for Sunday, Gonzalo once again has before it the possibility of effervescing. His last start dates back to March 2, against Getafe. Since then, the prominence under Arbeloa’s orders has been contracting until almost remaining in testimonial appearances.

This time, the equation has more variables. With Güler also out due to injury and the well-known loss of RodrygoArbeloa must choose two of three to complete the scheme: Gonzalo, Camavinga and Brahim the remaining positions are disputed. A struggle that, seen from the outside, will have little effect on the future of the white team, but for the Madrid striker It may be the last chance to make a real mark in this final stretch.

An obvious contrast

The curious thing about Gonzalo’s trajectory in these months is the distance between what happens in Valdebebas and what happens when you wear red. With the first team, he has experienced a season of residual minutes, coming on when the game was already decided or warming up on the wing without ever stepping on the pitch. He hasn’t scored in a Madrid shirt since February. But with the sub 21, Gonzalo is another. Leader, undisputed and protagonist. Six goals in seven caps show a forward who needs confidence and continuity to function, and who, when he has them, does not usually fail.

All this happens while his name begins to circulate in European offices. In the last year, its market value has passed from five to 30 million eurosa leap that is the echo of those four goals in the Club World Cup. From Germany, sky sports has pointed to Borussia Dortmund as a suitoralthough everything remains in the realm of speculation. The forward’s future is one of those unknowns that Madrid has yet to resolve this summer, something that is not comparable with the most obvious departures from Carvajal, Ceballos or Alaba. For now, Gonzalo has this day ahead of him and a match against Espanyol in which to demonstrate that his history in the first team has not yet said its last word.