Michael Olise, Manu Koné, Ibrahima Konaté, Aurélien Tchouameni … Several players scored points in the first match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Friday evening against Ukraine (2-0). But among them, the middle of Real Madrid seemed to cross a course and find a level rarely reached in recent months. Credited by an 8.5/10 by our editorial staff, Aurélien Tchouameni dominated the Ukrainian midfield (64/67 successful assists and 7/9 duels won). Solid in recovery and inspired in his transmissions, he shone in the offensive phases, as evidenced by his assist for Kylian Mbappé.
Aurélien Tchouameni has delighted Ukraine
At 25, the Madrid community delivered a complete performance: six successful tackles, three large opportunities created, better than all of his teammates. “It's very energy -consuming to go and hire, to hurry. It started with the attackers, who did a lot of shopping. We put less intensity afterwards. Master everything for 90 minutes … I don't think there was a relaxation, but rather a highlight of the opponent (…) The Koné-Tchouameni doublet worked very well. This allowed us to have a good defensive balance. We had a lot of quality sequences ”admitted Didier Deschamps after the meeting.
If the ex-monégasque surprises as much, it is also because it returned from afar in Madrid. Strolled between the central defense and the midfielder during last season by Carlo Ancelotti, he had ended up slightly raising his level, but remained criticized by the Merengues supporters and also by the Spanish press, to the point that rumors of departure circulated this summer. From now on, these speculations belong to the past: Tchouameni has become one of the basic men of Xabi Alonso.
A centerpiece of Xabi Alonso
Aligned with all the matches of the Club World Cup and holder during the entire first three days of Liga, he established himself as an essential defensive midfielder and essential to the offensive play style set up by Xabi Alonso. “It is a fundamental pillar of the team, by the weight he has and the different functions he can occupy. At his post, he must constantly make small decisions to help the whole collective ”explained his coach last July, showing all his confidence.
On his Madrid's momentum, Aurélien Tchouameni also confirms in blue that he can be the centerpiece of the midfield of Didier Deschamps. “It was important not to take a goal. We know that with the offensive armada that we have, it gives us more chance of winning matches (…) We were keen to start this campaign well. We only have six games, we had to get into it from the start ”underlined the former Monegasque. It remains to prolong this dynamic until next summer, for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
