Both the club and the player have a decision to make this summer.
It’s unclear if the role Xabi Alonso has for Dani Ceballos meets the midfielders’ satisfaction, but he still has strong backing inside the Real Madrid dressing room, according to a report from Cadena SER.
Several key players believe it’s “fundamental” that Ceballos stays at the club. They value his experience, comfort on the ball in high-pressure moments, and his understanding of what it means to wear the white shirt. With Modric gone and the club highly unlikely to spend €80-€100 million on a midfielder like Alexis Mac Allister or Enzo Fernandez, Ceballos’s continuity is seen as both practical and stabilizing.
Xabi Alonso’s role for Ceballos at the Club World Cup was a similar role to that of the past: a substitute to control the game when needed. Ceballos did not feature in starting lineups and was not among the first changes off the bench.
Ceballos now faces a decision: accept a reduced role at Madrid or pursue minutes elsewhere, likely for a materially lower salary. It’s been a similar saga summer after summer, with Ceballos opting to stay the last several years. A couple defining factors for this summer: (1) potential for making Spain’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, (2) Ceballos will be 30 next summer with one year remaining on his deal and would only get a 1-year extension from Madrid. He may want longer term stability for the last phase of his career.
Asked about his boyhood club, Real Betis, on his return from the Club World Cup – Ceballos told reporters: “It’s an important topic for me, but we’ll talk about my future in a few weeks. Betis was my home and always will be. I hope the door to Real Betis is always open. I haven’t spoken to them yet, but we’re open to everything.”
