Dani Ceballos Doesn't Regret Staying at Real Madrid Despite Limited Role
It has not been an easy to start to life in Madrid for midfielder Dani Ceballos. Since making his reported €18m move to Real Madrid from Real Betis last summer, the 21-year-old has made only a handful of appearances for the Madrid first team and has managed just two league starts.
Rumors have circulated that neither party has been happy with Ceballos' situation in Madrid. The midfielder himself has reportedly been eyeing a move away, while recent reports also claimed that the club were willing to sanction a move for Ceballos and offload him to Liverpool.
However, a recent interview with the man himself tells a different story. Following an impressive performance for Madrid's Under-21s, Ceballos said that he has no regrets about his move to Los Blancos and hopes to one day become an important player for the club.
"I've made the best out of every chance I've been given but you just have to respect the coach's decisions. I don't regret not leaving this winter," Ceballos explained, as quoted by Managing Madrid.
Ceballos had the chance to leave his Madrid nightmare during the January transfer window, and could have even returned to Real Betis on loan until the end of the season. But the Spaniard explained his desire to stay in Madrid to manager Zinedine Zidane.
In February, Ceballos' very limited role at Madrid was summed up when he was brought on as substitute against Leganes. He was on the pitch for less than 30 seconds before the full time whistle was blown.
"The football players know that these things happen and that you just have to learn from them as they come," Ceballos added.
"I received support from my family. Zidane said sorry the day after it happened because he knows how hard it is for a player to go through that. He was honest about it as he also publicly admitted that he apologized.
"I've been playing less than I initially expected but nobody will take away my dream of succeeding in Madrid. It's not easy to leave a club where you are a key starter and you soon realize how good the players are here.
"I would've liked to have a bigger role, but this is a good opportunity for me to grow up and mature. My dream growing up was to play for Madrid and I will work hard so that one day my name is remembered in the club."
