Sergio Arribas: Career so far, style of play, strengths and weaknesses
By Sean Walsh
Real Madrid have never failed to attract football's biggest stars. They are European royalty, one of sport's greatest institutions.
Though always a top destination for the game's top players, club president Florentino Perez sought to formalise Real Madrid's position atop the food chain with the 'Galactico' era at the start of the 21st century, kicking off proceedings with the controversial signing of Luis Figo from rivals Barcelona.
With such an approach to squad building in mind, it can be hard for young players to come through Los Blancos' youth ranks and make a mark for the first-team.
21-year-old Sergio Arribas has had to be patient, but he's showing promising signs that he could be a useful player for Real Madrid. Here's everything you need to know about him.
Sergio Arribas' career so far
Arribas was born in Madrid all the way back in 2001 - just over a year after Perez made that fabled move to sign Figo.
After a two-year spell with minnows Leganes, Arribas joined Real Madrid's La Fabrica academy in 2012 and went on to have a major impact at Valdebebas.
Arribas was part of the Real Madrid 'Juvenil A' side who won the 2019/20 UEFA Youth League, and he was subsequently rewarded with a first-team debut by Zinedine Zidane 10 days prior to his 19th birthday.
However, he has largely remained a regular for the Castilla team, where he has regularly recorded good numbers - after recording 15 goals and seven assists in 2021/22, Arribas has already notched up 10 goals and seven assists for the reserve side so far this term.
Arribas was called up to the senior team again for their 2022 FIFA Club World Cup campaign, scoring in their 4-1 semi-final victory against Al Ahly with his second touch of the ball.
It was a landmark moment for Arribas, who revealed post-match: "The first thing I did in the locker room was ask my teammates to sign my jersey."
After that performance, Carlo Ancelotti admitted that it's hard for young players to make such a breakthrough at a club like Real Madrid, underlining just how impressive Arribas' development has been.
The 21-year-old could make his first Champions League appearance of the season against Liverpool on Tuesday night after making the trip to Merseyside.
Sergio Arribas' style of play
Arribas is primarily a number 10 with a penchant for flittering between the lines and advancing play through his impressive passing range or fleet-footed dribbling. He is also capable of playing on either wing due to his two-footedness (though officially is a leftie).
This preference to play in the hole has perhaps contributed to his consistent lack of first-team appearances in his career thus far, with Real Madrid favouring a 4-3-3 formation over the last few years.
Arribas' cameos for the first-team have seen him come inside from the wing, where he faces significant competition for minutes.
Sergio Arribas' strengths
Arribas' quick and forward thinking has helped him develop into a goal threat from all areas of the pitch - his numbers prove he is a consistent penalty-box threat, while he also has a successful history of trying to lob the goalkeeper from the halfway line.
His strike against Al Ahly nicely showed his strengths, taking one quick touch after the ball fell to him from a free-kick before almost instantly hitting it with his second and picking out the very inside of the net.
Though secondary to his obvious goal threat, Arribas is also a handy playmaker capable of turning defence into attack through aforementioned passing or dribbling, though is particularly fond of clever dinks over the top of sleeping or retreating backlines.
Sergio Arribas' weaknesses
At 5ft7 and with a slight frame, Arribas' technical strengths are wiped out by his physical limitations at the top level.
That's not to say he can't stay afloat in the first-team. Smaller players than him have carved out long careers despite these weaknesses.
However, you need to be gifted to the extreme in order to survive at that level. Fortunately, La Liga is less physical than Europe's other domestic top flights and transitioning into a rotation player should be within Arribas' grasp in spite of his stature.