Real Madrid have officially signed 24-year-old striker Nahikari García from Real Sociedad.
An avowed Raúl stan, Nahikari has been bagging goals since her first days in the division, netting 44 in 73 matches from 2017-2020. 2020/21 was a little more of a struggle for her, given injuries and some finishing woes she normally hasn’t encountered. But 11 goals in 20 starts is still a more than healthy total and there’s a large sample that suggests she could challenge for the Pichichi once she hits her peak.
Nahikari also possesses enough versatility to drop to receive between the lines, operate in the channels, and hold up play. I wouldn’t say her all-round skillset matches that of Asllani, but Nahikari has operated as a wide attacker at times to play an important role in build-up for Real Sociedad.
It will be interesting to see how she fits alongside/competes against Asllani and whether the rumored Esther González transfer materializes. Three top quality forwards would be a lot, but Esther was on pace to be the top scorer in the league until Jenni Hermoso ruined it on the final day. That’s hard to turn down.
? ¡Nahikari es madridista!#BienvenidaNahikari pic.twitter.com/FLMqQnlZVU
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadridfem) July 1, 2021
Another (less important) storyline is who gets the #7 shirt. Right now, that belongs to Olga Carmona, who is easily good enough to hold onto it for the rest of her career at Madrid. However, Nahikari has identified with that number for a very long time and it’s a dream of Madridistas to see her wear it for Las Blancas.