Spanish media hand a death sentence to Real star: a failure and the weakest link in Madrid | Goal.com

Published on 02 Aug 2026 | Reading time: 2 minutes

Real Madrid's French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga struggled to convince during Saturday's friendly against Fiorentina, which finished 2-2 in the Austrian city of Klagenfurt. He started and played the full 90 minutes under Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho.

The Spanish media rounded on the 23-year-old. Radio station "Cadena SER" branded him "the weakest link at Real Madrid", while "AS" journalist Tomas Roncero went even further, arguing that Camavinga "remains inconsistent, distracted and fragile, just as he was during his disappointing last season". He added sarcastically: "The versatile French player, who was a rising star, has become a complete failure."

Despite his full 90 minutes and one decisive assist, the former Rennes man couldn't exploit the absence of several key stars to shape the game or take control of midfield.

He even squandered a golden chance to hand new striker Espai his first goal for the club. According to "Marca", he "either did not see him or did not want to pass him the ball" in a clear situation, and the paper predicted Mourinho would settle for using him off the bench in the coming matches.

Roncero vented his frustration at the player's dip, saying: "He is not developing and is not adding anything to the team's midfield", a pointed reference to the stalling of his technical growth despite years at the Merengues.

The display continued a rough spell that began in the disappointing 2025-2026 season, when Camavinga was left out of Didier Deschamps' France squad for the World Cup. That absence raised serious questions about his ability to rediscover the form that once made him one of Europe's most prominent young talents.

Amid this clear decline, some Spanish press reports have hinted that "a good offer from the English Premier League could signal the time for his departure" from the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid's midfield is crowded with stars, and the club need a financial return from players who have not delivered the hoped-for development.

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