Here are the player ratings as Real Madrid defeat Celta Vigo 5-2 in the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey in 2025 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
GK Andriy Lunin, 5.5
Lucky not to have conceded a penalty in the first half with a foolhardy lunge that usually gets called. As a goalkeeper, you can’t dive in without making contact with the ball, and most referees around the world will call that a penalty against the keeper.
Lunin can’t make that mistake again, otherwise he won’t be so fortunate. And again, he nearly conceded another goal, bobbling the ball directly into Jonathan Bamba’s path. Luckily for him, Bamba was offsides.
He had a really nice save of a swerving shot from distance, but it wasn’t enough to keep a clean sheet, thanks to an inexcusably errant pass from Eduardo Camavinga (and later a penalty).
LB Fran Garcia, 4.5
Poor. Fran Garcia isn’t at the level of a Real Madrid starter in any important game, and Celta Vigo picked him out as a weakness. On the ball, Fran doesn’t offer nearly enough ball security or consistent quality to make up for his subpar defensive work. He needs to be replaced in the squad this year.
CB Antonio Rudiger, 7.0
Made a few bumbling errors in the opening minutes on and off the ball but settled down as the game went on and delivered a legitimate shutout performance by the time extra time came around. He’s still not operating at his levels from the 2023/24 season, though.
CB Raul Asencio, 6.0
Raul Asencio was having another exceptional game in central defense before nearly blowing the entire Copa del Rey with an absolutely senseless challenge in his own box to gift Vigo a penalty.
He needs to realize that these are the fine margins at center back. Raul has so much potential and is honestly already the best center back on Real Madrid, but he’s still learning on the job.
RB Lucas Vazquez, 6.0
Worked hard to progress the ball but didn’t create anything tangible. He won five combined tackles and interceptions but was also skinned badly in a number of one-on-ones – such is the duality of Lord Vazquez.
CM Luka Modric, 8.0
Luka Modric is such an easy player to underrate but so exquisite in his command of the pitch off the ball, his passing accuracy, and his ability to create chances while shining as a traditional No. 8. He is still one of the best in the world and only a fool would deny it.
CM Aurelien Tchouameni, 7.5
Saved a goal with a brilliant sliding tackle and was so much better in defense as a midfielder than as a center back. Who would have thought, right? Real Madrid need to let him stay as a 6 and actually develop at the position, and Carlo Ancelotti jerking around players in suboptimal positions is one of the frustrating aspects of his coaching.
CM Dani Ceballos, 6.5
Really good progressive work in the passing game, as usual, but his defending in transitions was quite poor and nearly lead to easy goals for Celta Vigo. A painful nutmeg typified the lackadaisical nature of his defensive performance, which was, at times, just flat-out lazy, undoing some of his solid play on the ball.
LW Vinicius Junior, 7.0
Scored a straightforward goal but should have put away two more. He had a nice idea with an unselfish pass to Arda Guler that should have won the game, but he was just a bit offsides.
In general, it was a good game from Vini Jr., but it wasn’t a great one. He’s still too sloppy at times in the final third, losing more one-on-ones than he takes on and just not choosing the right technique to execute his finishes or passes.
For the amount of action he gets on the ball in critical areas, he’s still not producing enough, and it’s clear that he’s not the same caliber of player as Mbappe or Jude Bellingham in this regard.
CF Kylian Mbappe, 9.0
The stats don’t do justice to Kylian Mbappe, who was, by far, the best player on a Real Madrid side that bounced back from another slow start to thoroughly dominate Celta Vigo in the cup.
Mbappe had two passes to the assist that were chalked off by either Vinicius Junior getting too cute with the finish or Vini Jr. getting caught offsides. In both cases, Mbappe showed great passing accuracy, awareness, and strength to hold off the defender and make the actual key pass.
The same goes for Vini’s goal and Real’s second of the night, as he made a brilliant pass to start the whole move. Mbappe could have had three goals in this one, creating chances for himself with more world-class work off the ball. He is well and truly back.
RW Brahim Diaz, 8.0
Such a terror in tight spaces. Since moving back to Real Madrid from AC Milan, Brahim Diaz has improved his playmaking ability by leaps and bounds, showing even more clear progress in the current campaign.
Brahim could have recorded two assists for Vinicius Junior, too, if the Brazilian international didn’t go for the audacious chip. In any other side, Brahim would have been the Man of the Match for this consistent and intelligent passing display in the final third.
SUB Endrick, 9.0
Changed the game off the bench with two world-class goals, the first a Ruud van Nistelrooy-esque barnburner into the far corner from the edge of the box and the second a backheel through the keepers legs in the six-yard box that would have made Cristiano Ronaldo proud. He is going to be so, so good one day.
SUB Fede Valverde, 8.0
Outdid Endrick with an absolute banger from outside the box into the postage stamp of the gaol that was purely Fede Valverde at his best; if anything, it was vengeance for Endrick wasting an assist.
SUB Eduardo Camavinga, 4.0
Gave up a goal with a horrendous pass and nearly did. the same in extra time. Eduardo Camavinga came into the match and nearly blew it all for Real Madrid, making it a second straight cup performance in which the Frenchman cost Real Madrid. Consistency remains a glaring issue for the ex-Rennes standout.
SUB Jude Bellingham, 6.5
Although he didn’t make too much of an impact for Real Madrid in the minutes he was on the pitch, Jude Bellingham was an asset in defense and had a few trademark, surging runs into the final third with the ball at his feet.
SUB Rodrygo Goes, 6.0
SUB Arda Guler, 6.5
Worked hard and looked sharp for Real Madrid. Had a goal chalked off with Vinicius Jr. a fraction offside, but that would have been a gift from Vini anyway. His passing accuracy, chance creation, and willingness to block passing lanes were the real highlights.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at kparvizi19[at]gmail.com.