Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe makes Club World Cup debut, but young Gonzalo Garcia is the one stealing the show

Real Madrid beat Juventus 1-0 in the round of 16 on Tuesday thanks to a goal from Garcia as the young attacker makes a name for himself

In some ways, the first matches of Xabi Alonso's spell in charge of Real Madrid were notable because of who was not playing rather than who was. Kylian Mbappe was doomed to miss the group stage as he battled gastroenteritis, while the saga about Rodrygo's uncertain future at the club took another turn as he earned just one start in the team's first four Club World Cup matches. It may not have seemed that way at first, but it was the perfect set-up for the surprise star of Real Madrid's run to the tournament's quarterfinals – Gonzalo Garcia.

The 21-year-old academy product may have started the competition as a placeholder for the more high-profile attackers who were not named to the lineup, but he has quickly earned his spot alongside Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham. He earned his fourth start of the competition on Tuesday and rewarded Alonso for his belief with the game's lone goal in a win over Juventus in the round of 16, his third of the competition. His latest was a header, responding to Trent Alexander-Arnold's well-placed cross with a flick of the head that looked like natural instinct. 

Garcia is now amongst the competition's leading scorers, tied with the likes of Bayern Munich's Harry Kane and Manchester City's Erling Haaland with three goals, a sharp contrast from his standing with the team a few weeks ago. Before the Club World Cup began, he had just six appearances for the senior team, perhaps because Real Madrid's former manager Carlo Ancelotti was not exactly known for developing young players. The jury is still out on whether or not Alonso will change course in that department but regardless, Garcia's rise is emblematic of the conditions created by the new-look Club World Cup, good and bad.