Lucas Vazquez: Real Madrid’s unsung hero of a dominant decade
The UEFA Champions League final awaits Real Madrid tonight with Toni Kroos and Jude Bellingham the centre of attention. But, Lucas Vazquez has been as important as any player.
When you think of silverware in football Real Madrid are one of the first clubs that springs to mind. With this comes the usual memories of Cristiano Ronaldo breaking records, Toni Kroos dictating play as elegant as anything you will see or Luka Modric, well, being his constantly excellent self. Although, there’s someone else who is less renowned in the football world but loved by the Madrid fans - Lucas Vazquez.
Amid the tributes being paid to Toni Kroos during his last match at the Santiago Bernabeu, it was forgivable to forget that the Spaniard is yet to sign a contract extension at the La Liga champions. The Curtis-born man made his 348th appearance during the draw against Real Betis, a game which may be his last in Madrid although a new contract is on the table according to The Athletic.
Despite the amicable relationship between all parties, it is not entirely inconceivable that Vazquez may leave his longtime home this summer. If so, he deserves so much more fanfare and respect. During his 348 first-team appearances - plus 92 appearances for Real Madrid Castilla - the Spaniard has scored 36 times and assisted 65, amounting to 101 goal involvements. At a normal football club, which Madrid is not, Vazquez would already be considered a legend but fans of Los Blancos are blessed with a plethora of legends already.
However, Vazquez has been a common denominator of Madrid’s success over the last decade. During Carlo Ancelotti’s first reign the 32-year-old made seven UEFA Champions League appearances with arguably his biggest contribution coming against rivals Atletico Madrid, when he converted his penalty in the shootout. On that night in Lisbon, Madrid secured the club's eleventh UEFA Champions League triumph. Familiarly Ronaldo stole the show as he dispatched the decisive penalty that night but for Vazquez, this was the start of a rich period of silverware.
During the UEFA Super Cup final in 2016 against Sevilla, Vazquez was pivotal once again; he provided an assist for Sergio Ramos’ goal that took the game to extra time. Madrid won the game 3-2. In the 2016-17 La Liga season he appeared 33 times and helped the Spanish giants to their first La Liga title in five years.
Overall, Vazquez has won everything at Madrid including four UEFA Champions Leagues, three La Ligas, three UEFA Super Cups, three FIFA Club World Cups and a couple of Super Copa de Espana with a solitary Copa Del Rey.
Even with this impressive trophy cabinet, Vazquez has hardly featured for Spain during a transitional period for the national side; he made three appearances for his country in 2016 as he was included in Vicente Del Bosque’s UEFA Euro 2016 squad and nine in 2019. This time around Vazquez has been left out of Luis de la Fuente’s provisional UEFA Euro 2024 squad, he reacted with a cryptic message on social media simply posting two laughing emojis to X (formerly Twitter) on May 27 2024.
Just one month ago, Vazquez emerged as the hero of Real Madrid’s last-gasp 3-2 win over Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu. Once again, it was not the winger who captured the plaudits as Jude Bellingham lapped up the celebrations but the Englishman star was keen to credit his teammate posting “Lucas Vázquez you ****ing legend” on social media after the match. It was not just the winner that Vazquez had a hand in, he was involved in all three goals on the night.
After the match, he told La Liga TV: “It's a huge step for us, it was tough in our schedule and this game moves us closer to the title. We wanted to win so we're very happy."
"I'm very happy to help the team," he said.
"We all worked very well from the start of the game to the end and we're happy to take a big step."
This short post-match interview may be a small indicator of why Vazquez is so underappreciated. It is all deflecting from his contribution with the mention of a team and a collective goal at the forefront of each answer.
The Galacticos can secure a record-furthering 15th UEFA Champions League when they face Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on Saturday, June 1 2024. Vazquez may not start but is likely to feature in London. This may or may not be his last game in the famous white strip but he will be remembered by the Madrid fans as a constant in a period of success.