Spanish football has been a hub for some of the top talented midfield players across the world. Over the years, Spain has produced the best playmakers in the world. Their golden generation had three of the best in the business. Spanish teams are still producing these big talents and are actively recruiting players from Brazilian leagues at a low cost. The South American players prefer to join Spain and then move to some other European nation.
In the winter transfer window of 2024, LaLiga side Real Betis recruited a player in the midfield. Johnny Cardoso, who plays for the US Men national football team became a part of Betis’ plans. The 22-year-old played all of his professional football in Brazil. He is now a regular part of Manuel Pellegrini’s plans and is fighting for a spot in the top four. As we head into the final phase of the season, here is a look at what this youngster has added and could add more to this Real Betis side.
Defensive shield
Johnny Cardoso plays as a defensive shield in front of Real Betis’ defence. His role in the team is to win the ball back and shift the momentum to the attacking side. In the first eight games for Betis, the 22-year-old has won 62% of his defensive duels, 57% of his aerial duels and 42% of his loose ball duels. His ability to read the opposition’s play has allowed him to make 7.5 interceptions per 90 minutes. This is a big plus point for Betis. However, one area where the youngster needs to show a bit of discipline is in not giving away silly fouls in defensive areas. The player gives away 1.5 fouls per 90 minutes, with some of these coming in the defensive half.
One area where this US international midfielder has impressed is in making recoveries for his team. The youngster has made 12.7 recoveries per 90 minutes and 31% of these come in the attacking half. Most of these came in the form of counter-pressing recoveries.
Confident runner and creative mindset
Johnny Cardoso has learned some skills in Brazil and is making full use of them to beat the defenders. He has won 71% of his dribbles in the current season. These successful dribbles often help the team to get out of pressure situations.
The 22-year-old youngster is finding his groove in Spanish football. He averages 37.36 passes per 90 minutes and 86.7% of these have been successfully delivered. These include 3.3 passes to the final third and 0.52 passes to the opposition penalty box. Cardoso has even added an assist to his name and also scored a goal.
Johnny Cardoso has already cemented his place in the starting 11 of Real Betis. He will look to make a name by giving more solid performances in the future.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
