Real Madrid have been hands down the most successful team in Europe over the past five seasons, winning the Champions League four out of the past five years. No one has been able to even come close to them with this record. If we look at the actual games, though, it becomes evident that there is a certain element of luck involved in Real Madrid’s success. In fact, over these years, there have been many dodgy referee decisions in Real Madrid’s favor in Europe, such as instances in which offside was not called on obviously-offside goals, as well as similar calls against opponents. Of course, we also cannot forget the real reason for Madrid’s success: the presence of the Greatest of All Time (GOAT), Cristiano Ronaldo, on their squad. When Real Madrid were not at their best, Cristiano Ronaldo simply carried them to victory, as seen with his record Champions League goal tally of 125.
As such, his departure last season to Juventus was a crushing blow on Real Madrid. In addition to losing the GOAT, Madrid did not make any significant signings, and their other forwards simply weren’t any good. Also, the coach who led Real Madrid to such success, Zinedine Zidane, also left and was replaced with an inexperienced international coach, Julen Lopetegui. All of these factors contributed to a horrific season for Real Madrid. They crashed out of every competition that they were in, and posed no real threat for FC Barcelona in the Spanish League. Now, Zinedine Zidane has returned to Real Madrid, and rumor has it that they have given him 300 million euros to spend on a new squad. Next season will certainly be interesting for Real Madrid fans.