It’s been one of the defining features of Real Madrid and their success, especially in the last 20 years.
The club have a defined hierarchy – experienced senior leaders, young players coming through to replace them, and dressing room harmony from a comfortable setup where everyone knows their place
It’s interesting to hear Vinicius Jr. talking about it in an interview carried by Marca. He’s making the transition from youngster to veteran now, and while he’s a key player for the team on the pitch, he knows he’s not yet top dog in the dressing room.
“I speak out, but I know my place. If I have to speak, I speak, there’s no problem. But Toni, Luka… they’ve been there a long time and so I listen to them.”
That kind of mutual understanding and respect within the dressing room is only possible if the old guard – in this case Toni Kroos and Luka Modric – can command the respect of players younger and sometimes better.
Those two certainly do, and clubs all over the world could learn a lot from how Madrid manage to keep such a strong group despite the big wages and big egos that are part of football.
