Brahim Diaz far more than a back-up to Real Madrid’s fabled quartet

Moroccan is playing an increasingly prominent role in Carlo Ancelotti’s star-studded side

Real Madrid's Moroccan forward #21 Brahim Diaz (L) celebrates with Real Madrid's French forward #09 Kylian Mbappe after scoring his team second goal during the UEFA Champions League football match between Manchester City and Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on February 11, 2025. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)Show less

On the cusp of his 100th match in a Real Madrid jersey, Brahim Abdelkader Diaz finds himself totting up the many medals so far, surveying how many more might be added in the coming months but still counting his minutes on the pitch with a little frustration.

Morocco’s Brahim should this evening reach his centenary of games for the most successful club in Europe, with an expectation that the first leg of Madrid’s Spanish Cup semi-final at Real Sociedad inches them closer to that trophy.

After that, there's a glut of high-stakes fixtures in which Brahim should feel as vital as perhaps at any time in his career in Spain.

The Madrid media have lately taken to calling him ‘The Fantastic Fifth’, a double-edged compliment. It elevates the 25-year-old to a sort of associate membership of the celebrated ‘Fantastic Four’ quartet who have regularly formed the forward line since Kylian Mbappe last summer joined Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo at the club.

But it implies Brahim occupies a place a little lower in the hierarchy, somewhere between super-sub and first reserve when any of Mbappe, Vini, Bellingham or Rodrygo are unavailable.

In a clogged-up calendar, with rest and rotations essential, being the Fantastic Fifth is no minor role. For Brahim the centurion, the vista ahead is especially busy.

After the Copa del Rey assignment on Wednesday in San Sebastian, where Mbappe’s participation is in doubt following minor dental surgery, Madrid go to Real Betis to resume what is developing into a gripping defence of their Liga title – they are locked on 54 points with leaders Barcelona, with Atletico Madrid a single point behind – and then confront Atletico next Tuesday in the last-16 of the Uefa Champions League.

Bellingham is suspended for both the league and European games. The clear message to Brahim from head coach Carlo Ancelotti is that responsibility to link the front three with the rest of the team will fall on him.

Ancelotti spelled that out to Brahim immediately after Madrid had completed their 6-3 aggregate victory over Manchester City in the play-off round of the European competition last week, a win the Moroccan had played a key part in.

Trailing in the first leg at the Etihad by 2-1, Madrid brought Brahim off the bench with six minutes of normal time remaining. He’d been on the pitch barely two minutes before he equalised, against his former club, with an alert volley. Barely eight minutes after coming on, he was congratulating Bellingham on stealing the first leg 3-2.

These are the sort of interventions Ancelotti values. Brahim’s knack of transforming a tight knockout tie helped Madrid to the Champions League title last season – he struck the decisive goal in a tense last 16 tie against RB Leipzig – and he has been the driver of their 2024/25 Copa del Rey run, setting up goals in every round.

“He’s very important for us,” says Ancelotti, “because he can play across positions, and he helps out a lot in midfield. He’s going to have a more prominent role this season. I would certainly never think of him as a back-up. He always brings something to the team however many minutes he plays.”

At almost any other club, Brahim would be a certain starter, week in, week out, Ancelotti believes. "Here, we’re talking about the best squad in the world,” said the Italian on Tuesday, addressing a perceived exasperation at a lack of minutes on the pitch for the talented young Turkish playmaker Arda Guler, whose place on the ladder is well below Brahim’s. “Everyone wants to be playing, but there’s a process for all young players. They need to understand that.”

Brahim, born in Malaga, has learnt that process. He joined Madrid as a teenager from City, where he had graduated from the academy to win a Premier League title in 2018.

He was then still a prospect rather than the finished article, and would be loaned out to AC Milan to further his development after his first year-and-a-half at the Bernabeu, where he had picked up a Liga title in his first full season.

A Serie A winners medal would follow at Milan. There Brahim developed physically, his upper body strength making him even more effective at holding off close markers while making his nimble turns, a trademark forte, as is his equal comfort using both right and left foot. He finessed the defensive aspects of his game in Italy, too, as Ancelotti noted.

City, Milan, Madrid: Brahim had won the English, Italian and Spanish leagues plus two Champions League gold medals by his mid-20s. But perhaps the most significant direction he took in his career path was putting his signature, just under 12 months ago, to the Fifa document that enabled his permanent international switch from Spain, where had played at various youth levels and in a single senior friendly, to Morocco.

His father’s family are from North Africa, and he spent a large portion of his childhood in Morocco. His impact with the Atlas Lions has been spectacular. His six competitive caps so far have yielded seven goals and two assists.

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham celebrates their 3-2 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. AP

Jude Bellingham scores Real Madrid's late winner. EPA

Real Madrid's English midfielder Jude Bellingham celebrates with teammates after scoring his team third goal. AFP

Erling Haaland of Manchester City scores his second goal from the penalty spot. EPA

Real Madrid's Brahim Diaz, left, celebrates with Kylian Mbappe after scoring in the Uefa Champions League match against Manchester City. AFP

Brahim Diaz of Real Madrid scores to make it 2-2. EPA

Real Madrid's French forward Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring to make it 1-1. AFP

Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol, right, challenges Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe. AP

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on the touchline against Real Madrid in Manchester. PA

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola before the match. Reuters

His numbers as Ancelotti’s go-to problem-solver are also impressive. When he has stood in for Bellingham’s absences in the 18 months since Bellingham signed and Brahim returned from Italy, he has scored eight goals and set up another seven. That’s from 17 starts.

His overall numbers from his 99 Madrid games are 18 goals and 19 assists, an impact that looks even better when you consider that’s a direct goal contribution every 113 minutes – 55 of those appearances were as a substitute.

He’d prefer to be starting more often than his average of once in every two games, but there’s an appreciation that when his coach leaves him on the bench, it’s with the firm intention of using his fifth musketeer. Every time Brahim has been named among the Madrid substitutes this season, he has seen some action.

He’s also been assured, by Madrid’s bosses, that reaching 100 games for the club should be considered merely a first century – and that by the time he notches up his double hundred, it will be as far more than the star number five of a feted front four.