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Real Madrid bid farewell to Cristiano Ronaldo this summer. The Portugal captain is their all-time top goal scorer with 451 goals in 439 goals. One of the world’s best and most lethal players, Ronaldo guaranteed Real Madrid an average of 50.2 goals per season. During his nine seasons at the club, he won numerous accolades individually and collectively.
2 La Liga championships and 4 UEFA Champions Leagues were his biggest team trophies as he brought the glory days back to the Spanish capital. He won 4 Ballon d'Or awards and 2 FIFA Best Player awards in addition to the other innumerable ones. He had a highly successful career in the white jersey and can be fairly credited for steadying and setting the Real Madrid ship on course to do wonders.
The Real Madrid that is now in front of us following the 33-year-old’s departure is very different as compared to what we saw before him.
The club was in absolute shambles since its glory days were overshadowed by Barcelona’s exploits in European football. Manuel Pellegrini was the boss when Ronaldo arrived in Spain’s capital. The expectations were extremely high from the best player in the world. However, the spirits were not too great after a poor showing in 2008/09.
July 2009 marked Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival for £80 million, a record transfer then from Manchester United. Little did anybody know that a new era was coming to Real Madrid. The first season for the Portuguese wasn’t too great. It was a trophy-less campaign.
Los Blancos suffered a humiliation at the hands of AD Alcorcon in the Copa del Rey round of 32. On the other hand, Olympique Lyonnaise won against the odds versus Madrid in the Champions League round of 16. Pep’s Barcelona won the league against Pellegrini’s Madrid.
Following a tumultuous season, out went Manuel Pellegrini. Jose Mourinho was introduced into the dugout. The current Manchester United boss has received huge amounts of hatred for straining relationships with many of the club’s senior players.
Yet, he deserves credit for bringing back a joyful style of football at Real Madrid. On a side note, he also strengthened the faith in the Real Madrid camp.
For the first time since 2002, Real Madrid paved their way into the Champions League semi-finals. So close yet so far, a Leo Messi masterclass was too much for the Whites to handle as they were kicked out in the semis. Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side once again dominated the league and also won the Champions League.
Real Madrid won the Copa del Rey, a huge success following pathetic times in the near past. Most notably that season, Jose Mourinho made sure to revolutionize the squad by adding Mesut Ozil and Angel di Maria to his catalogue. The Spanish Cup was enough to leave Florentino Perez content and Jose Mourinho continued building a Real Madrid for the future.
2011/12 was one of the most memorable seasons for a Madridista. Breathtaking football was accompanied by tons of goals. Real Madrid stamped their authority on to counter attacking football that year. They won the La Liga with a record-breaking 100 points and were out of the Copa del Rey in the quarterfinals.
Despite the Champions League being of supreme focus, winning La Liga with unassailable dominance was Jose’s biggest achievement as Madrid’s boss. The semi-final elimination in Europe’s elite competition did nothing to affect the former Chelsea manager’s job at Real Madrid.
Jose Mourinho entered his third campaign on the back of a few signings. Not too important back then, Luka Modric and Raphael Varane were signed by the club. Nacho and Alvaro Morata were also promoted to the first team from the youth ranks.
There is no need to mention how far the Croat and French have come, Nacho and Morata have also formed important parts of Real Madrid’s recent success stories.
The 2012/13 was Mourinho’s only season without a trophy in Madrid. He finished second in La Liga, second in the Copa del Rey and humbled by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League’s semi-finals. He announced his departure from the club in spite of having one year left on his contract.
Florentino Perez’s office was in dilemma about whom to appoint as Jose’s successor. The expectations were extremely and Carlo Ancelotti’s CV fit the job. One of the biggest demands made by Perez from Ancelotti was the delivery of La Decima.
The Whites had not won the trophy which they so desperately needed in twelve years. Gareth Bale was bought in along with Isco and Carvajal with hopes of fulfilling the obsession. Carlo Ancelotti did not do much good to the side in La Liga as he finished third, behind Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
Most importantly, he became the first man in twelve years to deliver the trophy with the big years- UEFA Champions League- to Real Madrid. The ‘La Decima’ dream was complete apart from just winning the Copa del Rey.
Both the final victories were twice as sweet as Real beat domestic rivals, Atletico and Barcelona respectively. Cristiano Ronaldo stood out in Real Madrid’s best season in a long while. He scored 51 goals that season including a record 17 in the Champions League.
2014 was one of the best years in Real Madrid’s illustrious history dating back to 1902. Their Italian boss brought home four titles. In addition to the Champions League and Copa del Rey, the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Super Cup also found their way to the Santiago Bernabeu’s trophy cabinet. 2014/15 started with a bang for the Whites.
James Rodriguez and Keylor Navas were the major additions aside of Toni Kroos. By January, they sat on top of the table by a four-point margin and riding a 22 game winning streak. Unpredictably, injuries began taking their toll on a trimmed Real Madrid side.
They were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Atletico Madrid in the round of 16. Pathetic results followed and soon they lost their lead to Barcelona. The Champions League was no saviour this time out as Juventus managed to knock Ancelotti’s Real Madrid out, thanks to important goals from none other than their own academy product- Alvaro Morata.
The demands at Real Madrid are extremely high, and failure to meet the desired results saw Carlo Ancelotti fired.
The managerial appointment made by Florentino Perez spoilt every Real Madrid fans hope for the upcoming season. Rafa Benitez was named head coach by the club’s president. His stint with the club was extremely short-lived. The now Newcastle United coach was sacked just six months after appointment. Real Madrid were already out of the Copa del Rey by January’s first six weeks.
Shamefully, they were 12 points behind league leaders Barcelona and were also humiliated in the El Clasico by a 4-0 defeat in front of their own fans. While Benitez got pathetic results, he deserves credit for developing players like Lucas Vazquez, Casemiro and most importantly Keylor Navas. He also signed Mateo Kovacic who is one for the future.
Academy coach Zinedine Zidane took over at the helm. Bestowed with immense responsibility, Zizou remained calm and managed to steady the Real Madrid ship. He took his team to a whole new level and won the Champions League in the same season. That made sure that the team’s spirits were high going into the next season.
It was the club’s eleventh European triumph while Zidane did it in six months as a coach. On a lighter note, the Frenchman did it with a squad on low morale. In the 2016 calendar year, Los Merengues won 3 trophies. They lifted the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup in addition to the Champions League.
Zinedine Zidane entered his first full season as Real Madrid’s coach with extreme pressure. He certainly did not disappoint. In the transfer window, the Frenchman was not as busy as Madrid’s rivals. He did not bring in big names but sure did invest smartly. Marco Asensio was called back from loan while Alvaro Morata was purchased from Juventus by exercising Real Madrid’s buy-back clause.
The 2016/17 season was off to a flyer. Cristiano Ronaldo was in top form since day one. The Whites rode a 40 match unbeaten streak which broke several records in the process. The Copa del Rey was unkind to them as they were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
However, Zizou did manage to deliver the league and Champions League double. It was the club’s first such achievement in 58 years. The Champions League victory was probably the sweetest as Los Blancos became the first side in history to defend the crown successfully.
A memorable season was capped off. Five trophies were won in the campaign making it the most successful in the club’s history.
2017/18 had different things in store though. Real Madrid were triumphant against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup and also managed to grab the UEFA Super Cup by beating Manchester United. They came into the season on the back of high expectations. However, a poor league start saw their domestic outings go for a toss.
The defending league champions suffered embarrassing defeats against teams like Real Betis and Girona. Several draws were accompanied by numerous losses. Leganes managed to dump the team out of the Copa del Rey, yet again in the quarterfinals.
Thankfully for the club’s supporters and Zinedine Zidane and Co, the holders managed to flex their muscles in the UEFA Champions League. Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Bayern Munich were all blown away as the Whites made way to their thirteenth Champions League title.
This was probably the sweetest European victory given the route that lied between the champions and the final.
On the 26th of May, Sergio Ramos capped off a subpar yet happy season by lifting the team’s third successive Champions League. Just four days later, however, there was disappointment in the club’s backroom.
Zinedine Zidane left the club under shocking circumstances. Julen Lopetegui was appointed within fifteen days of Zizou’s resignation. Yet, Cristiano Ronaldo would depart the club soon. That came as another shock in the Whites’ dugout and was even more hurtful than Zidane’s exit.
As the 2018/19 draws closer by the day, a new era is upon Real Madrid. The Whites find themselves in a period of transition. However, they are much more stable and confident than they were before Cristiano’s arrival. There is reason to be optimistic due to the presence of wonderful defenders, midfielders and attackers in addition to a fabulous youth setup.
Cristiano Ronaldo was Real Madrid’s go-to man in times of trouble, but with a managerial change and an ageing player, it felt that this was the correct time to say the bitter farewell. Real Madrid go again, with the same strong mentality of victory as always. The season’s curtain-raiser this time out is the UEFA Super Cup against Atletico Madrid, while the La Liga opens with a matchup against Getafe.
