Ranking the 3 most important leaders in Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid squad

For the last few seasons at Real Madrid, one area the club has been lacking in is defined leaders in the team. When we look back on the previous generation, the squad had clear leaders with the likes of Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal and so many more, but this current squad is desperately lacking players who step up, take responsibility, and and tell their teammates what to do.

Jose Mourinho is a mangers that demands his team has strong leaders as they are the cornerstone pieces of building a culture of winning but with this current squad, the manager may find it hard to find the players he can rely on to lead the team like he did in his first stint at the club.

The three leaders that need to step up if Real want to bring trophies back home

Mourinho has three players in the current squad he will most likely turn to to be the leaders, some being more characteristic leaders than the others.

1. Thibaut Courtois

Firstly we have Thibaut Courtois. While the goalkeeper is third in line in terms of captaincy, he is without a doubt the player in the team that is the strongest leader and the player Mourinho should turn to to rally the troops. While some players have been at the club longer, Courtois has the strongest leadership mindset, demanding the very best out of his teammates and he won't settle for less. We constantly see Courtois being the one directing teammates during matches and taking on all the responsibilities of captain without the armband. Being one of the oldest players in the team he has an old school mindset like Mourinho and realistically should be the captain this season.

2. Jude Bellingham

We go from one of the oldest players in the team to one of the younger ones, but despite still being only 23-years-old, Jude Bellingham brings an incredible leadership personality to the team and we saw that from his very first season. The Englishman is always willing the team on, asking for their best and doing so by example, and isn't afraid to yell at a teammate when warranted. In an era where modern players tend to be 'soft' Bellingham brings an old school mentality to the table, which for his age is a breath of fresh air, because to play for Real Madrid, you gotta be tough as they come.

3. Fede Valverde

And finally we come to the player who is actually the captain, Fede Valverde. The Uruguayan is captain based on the club policy of seniority and is a good not great leader but given how lacking the squad is in leadership he ends up cracking the top three. Compared to other captains we need to see Valverde take a bigger step forward when it comes to taking responsibility and being the loudest voice in the team like we saw with his predecessors Sergio Ramos and Dani Carvajal. Mourinho will no doubt rely on the midfielder to step up as captain this season following a somewhat lackluster campaign last season that did more bad than good for his image.