Real Madrid ended 2025 with a victory. But the 2-0 victory over Sevilla at the Bernabéu left more fuel than a sense of solace in the fire that the white team had been keeping alive for weeks.
Xabi Alonso’s words “I’m going to take a break” after the win against Sevilla sounded more like relief than celebration. After a week in which his name and work were at the forefront of the analysis of the health of a team that has lost its way from solidity, there was a desire for a truce.
Alisha Lehman shows off her skills on Christmas
In 2026, Madrid’s ships will face rough seas. Firstly, Betis are unbeaten in 14 games, a rarity among Europe’s elite teams. Then the Supercopa semi-finals begin, against rivals Atlético Madrid, who opened up an initial lead of 5-2 at the Metropolitano.
As optimism fades, Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid may be looking to make fundamental changes. In its long history, there are many examples that ended badly and gave way to other years in history. The most recent example is the transition from 2015 to 2016.
Real Madrid performed badly in 2015 under coach Rafa Benítez. The results weren’t bad. They have lost three of their 24 games, including a 4-0 loss to Barcelona in La Liga. However, the reality was that there was a sense of disconnect between the team and the coach, and between the president and the coach. This unbearable atmosphere was made worse by the team’s Copa del Rey exit due to Denis Cheryshev’s misplacement.
Benitez resisted Christmas, but was sacked on January 4. The 2-2 draw at Mestalla, after Madrid had led twice, was Benítez’s epitaph at the club. Among them was Zidane, who made his debut in a 5-0 win against Deportivo.
Under Zidane’s guidance, Madrid were able to compete in La Liga until the final match against Barcelona, and won the Champions League against Atlético Madrid in Milan. But above all, it was the beginning of a team that won three consecutive Champions League titles, a feat not seen since Ajax and Bayern Munich in the 1970s.
4th from the bottom on December 4th
Real Madrid were also European champions in 2000. Del Bosque took charge in the eighth match against Valencia in Paris. Thanks to the Salamanca-born coach, Madrid had to face a situation that today seems like science fiction. On 4 December, after losing 5-1 to Zaragoza after 14 games, the team was fourth from bottom, one point behind Valladolid. At the top of the league are Deportivo, Celta and Zaragoza, with Rayo, Mallorca and Alaves in the top seven.
In mid-November 1999, after Toshack was sacked with the immortal line, “I’m more likely to see pigs flying over the Bernabéu than to be set back,” Del Bosque took over as manager and Madrid finished fifth in La Liga (seven points behind champions Deportivo) and were crowned European champions.
self management
The two fundamental changes that took Madrid from crisis to European champions came after the changes to the dugout. In 1998, Madrid also became European champions, the first time this had happened since 1966. At the beginning of the year, Jupp Heynckes’ team were four points behind Barcelona. Players and coaches were at odds. “He lost control of the dressing room. It was a decision that was made a long time ago, and one game did not change it. If Madrid had not won the European Cup, the team would have had its worst season in a long time. You cannot change the future of a team in 90 minutes,” coach Lorenzo Sanz explained on May 28, a week after the seventh European Cup, about a decision made several months ago.
If it hadn’t been done before, it was because the team had won the European Cup with more emphasis on self-management than on instructions from the bench…until they won it. They finished 4th in La Liga, 11 points behind Barcelona, and lost in the first round of the Copa del Rey to second division team Alaves. Unbelievable things are being said about the relationship between Heynckes and the players. “The players were a bit of a pain, but they ate up the ground. When we were already out of the league, Heynckes called a meeting with Hierro, Sanchis, Raul, Redondo and myself. And Raul, who was 19 years old, went to the blackboard and started saying we have to play like this, like this, like this, and with that personality that he has, he asked us what we thought. And we looked at him like this. “But I sat down and said, “I have a coach here,” and that’s when I realized we don’t have one,” Mijatovic told MARCA.
In Xavi’s favor is the fact that Madrid have repeatedly turned around critical situations and ended the season with great celebrations. On the other hand, it has rarely been accomplished without making changes to the dugout.
