Player Ratings: Real Madrid 0 - 0 Rayo Vallecano; 2023 La Liga

Full match player ratings below:

Kepa—7: Had almost nothing to do all match is Rayo barely forayed past the halfway line.

Dani Carvajal—8: Galloped up and down the right flank and looked to be an open option for the weak-side switch. Finished the game with 3 interceptions and 3 key passes.

Toni Rudiger—7.5: Resolute and focused throughout the entire 90 minutes despite limited defensive work. Got into a scuffle with Florian Lejeune on nearly every set-piece, with the two boiling over in the final moments of the game, resulting in a yellow for Rudiger and suspension vs Valencia.

David Alaba—7: Played more like a deep central midfielder than a center back given how high Madrid kept their line and how much of the ball the team had throughout the 90 minutes.

Fran Garica—5: Still appears very nervy, particularly when playing at the Santiago Bernabeu. Had an early lapse in concentration, passing a square ball in his own half straight to a Rayo player. Fortunately was not punished. Did break through one time on the underlap and picked up a terrific through ball from Jude Bellingham. Took his touch wide rather than centrally and his shot angle was impacted.

Eduardo Camavinga—8: Looked very comfortable in the center defensive midfield position, completing a game-high of 6 tackles. Seemed to always pop up and deliver a crunching yet clean slide tackle to win the ball back.

Fede Valverde—8.5: Phenomenal performance, the one black mark in his book will be the big miss in the 6th minute of the game. Otherwise was a monster on both ends of the pitch, covering ground defensively and eating up the pitch while carrying the ball to help push the team forward.

Luka Modric—7: Had a quarter-back role on the night and played well. Completed 6/6 long balls and 3 key passes. Was the metronome to Madrid’s game and was maybe unfairly substituted out in the 70th minute.

Jude Bellingham—8.5: Did not manage to score, but did just about everything else. Zidane-esque turns at the top of the box to create space and shoot, multiple through balls to feed on-running teammates, tackles in the final third of the pitch to create dangerous goal-scoring opportunities.

Vinicius Junior—5: Did not play poorly, but is capable of so much more. Finished the game with 10 completed dribbles and 2 key passes, but lost himself in spats with the referee and tussles with opposition players. Needs to reframe and focus as the on-field distractions are impeding his game rather than helping.

Joselu—3: Feels like the big Spaniard needs a plethora of chances to score one goal. Had six shots on the night, but was unable to find the back of the net. Got on the end of opportunities but also impeded a lot of build-up play.

Substitutions:

Rodrygo—3: Nearly scored with his first touch and shot of the game from a tight angle in the right half-space inside the box. Other than that opportunity, was quiet on the right flank and failed to bring the spark needed.

Toni Kroos—6: Brought much needed progressive passing but his set-pieces were poor late in the game.

Nacho—N/A: Played center back and pushed Alaba to left back for the final 10 minutes.