‘I Hope’—Real Madrid Outcast Heavily Hints at Summer Exit

Even the departure of Luka Modrić is unlikely to change things for Dani Ceballos.

Dani Ceballos commands little game time as things stand. / IMAGO/Xinhua

Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos addressed his uncertain future with the club by openly pining for his old team.

Ceballos has two more years left on his contract at the Santiago Bernabéu and was a valued rotation and backup player under Carlo Ancelotti. But minimal opportunities under Xabi Alonso at the FIFA Cup World Cup point to a frustrating future the longer he stays.

Alonso handed the scheming central midfielder four substitute appearances throughout the tournament which totalled just 70 minutes of on-pitch action.

The retirement of Toni Kroos last summer didn’t really open new doors for him, nor will the exit of Luka Modrić now, with Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurélien Tchouameni and Arda Güler ahead in the battle for midfield places.

Luka Modrić will join AC Milan on a free transfer. / IMAGO/Latin Sport Images

Ceballos made his name as a Real Betis player, before signing with Real Madrid in 2017 and later spending two seasons on loan at Arsenal. Betis have consistently finished in La Liga’s top seven since 2020 and reached last season’s UEFA Conference League final. They are competing in the Europa League in 2025–26 and there is plenty of reason to want to join the club.

“Betis is my home and it will always be, I hope the door is always open,” Ceballos told El Chiringuito.

He added that discussions with Real Madrid haven’t happened yet, but are planned: “We’ll talk about the future after this week. There haven’t been any meetings yet.”

For Ceballos, a strong club season has the potential to get him back into Spain’s national team before the 2026 World Cup next summer. The 28-year-old has 13 caps to date, all but two of which came between September 2018 and October 2020, and he hasn’t played for his country at all since 2023.

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