It's official: Real Madrid are no longer the champions of Spain, their La Liga crown on its way to Barcelona after the Catalans sealed the title with Thursday's win over Espanyol. But not only have Madrid been dethroned domestically, they are now officially going to end the season without any major trophies to their name. Victories in the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup may have been nice at the time, while the Club World Cup could still be theirs this summer, but the competitions that Madrid really wanted to win have passed them by in 2024-25.
Twelve months ago, that would have been unthinkable. After Carlo Ancelotti had guided an already uber-talented squad to a La Liga-Champions League double, Los Blancos added Kylian Mbappe to the mix in a move that was meant to usher in an era of dominance in Madrid. Throw in the arrival of Brazilian wonderkid Endrick, and it was difficult to see any team who, on paper, could challenge what Florentino Perez had assembled at Santiago Bernabeu.
Football is not won on paper, however, and Madrid struggled from the off this season. They have shown glimpses of their best in both La Liga and the Champions League, but in the end they were thoroughly outclassed when it came to the crunch. And so while the talent of Madrid's individuals cannot be questioned, it soon became clear that this was a deeply flawed team, and that has led to a forgettable campaign in the capital for which Ancelotti is paying with his job.
So who is to blame, and how does Xabi Alonso fix the problems that plagued Madrid over the past nine months? GOAL looks at where it all went wrong for Los Blancos...
