Stats: Fringe Real Madrid midfielder makes strong statement for France under Zinedine Zidane

Stats: Fringe Real Madrid midfielder makes strong statement for France under Zinedine Zidane Eduardo Camavinga has been handed a fresh opportunity with new France under Zinedine Zidane, and the Real Madrid midfielder responded with a performance that justified the faith placed in him. Camavinga started for the first time under Zidane as France defeated Belgium 1-0, taking advantage of an opportunity that had been a long time coming.  The midfielder had not started for Les Bleus since October 2025, when he featured in a World Cup qualifier against Iceland. Zidane already knew the midfielder’s qualities and made his confidence in Camavinga clear during the first week of training.  Against Belgium, the Real Madrid star showed why his new manager believes he can become an important figure for France. Camavinga dominates midfield against Belgium Camavinga’s numbers showed the control he brought to France’s midfield. The Real Madrid midfielder completed 62 of his 66 passes, giving him a 94% completion rate.  His accuracy was even higher when operating in the opposition half, where he completed 41 of 42 passes for a remarkable 98% success rate. He also missed only one of his four attempted long passes, highlighting the range of his distribution. Without the ball, Camavinga offered the energy expected from a genuine box-to-box midfielder.  He won six of his 11 ground duels and recovered possession five times, allowing him to maintain a high physical level throughout the full 90 minutes. Notably, all this was made possible because Zidane gave him considerable freedom in central midfield, where his partnership with Lucas Da Cunha helped France improve their build-up play. Camavinga impressed against Belgium under Zinedine Zidane. (Photo by Franco Arland/Getty Images) There was one blemish. A mistake in the opposition half allowed Belgium to launch a counter-attack that could have ended with a chance, although it was Camavinga’s only significant error of the night. Zidane believes Camavinga can unlock defences The opportunity carries additional significance because Camavinga has played just 240 minutes in six matches for Real Madrid, starting just one of them. Zidane, however, appears determined to overlook his Real Madrid numbers. It is said that the France coach has no doubts about Camavinga’s potential and sees him as a midfielder capable of breaking defensive lines with his ability on the ball.  His unique touch, composure, and capacity to generate attacking play are qualities Zidane clearly values. Against Belgium, Camavinga finally had the opportunity to put those qualities on display from the start, and he impressed.