Zidane's only ever-present player so far in 2018

Surprisingly, defender Nacho is the only Real player to have played every minute of their 2018 campaign so far.

Real have faced Celta Vigo, Villarreal and Numancia twice since the turn of the year, with Nacho seemingly the only player to have the full faith of his manager.

The Spanish defender's repeated inclusion may also have something to do with Real's injury problems at the back that have limited Zidane's ability to rotate, however, it was still surprising that the Frenchman opted to field him in the return leg against Numancia in the Copa del Rey, with Real already holding a comfortable 3-0 lead.

In fact, Nacho is also the only Real player to have played every minute in the Spanish Cup, followed by Dani Carvajal (225), Gareth Bale (215) and Lucas Vazquez (214). 

Zidane is a huge admirer of Nacho and his ability to slot in all across the backline and do a job. The 27-year-old has played 2,005 minutes so far this season, split across 25 games, with 15 of those coming in La Liga, five in the Champions League, four in the Copa del Rey and one in the Club World Cup.