SPEECH OF REAL MADRID

ENGLISH PROJECT

MADE BY: Ricardo Pérez López

Teacher: Guadalupe Arroyo Maldonado

School: Fray Pedro De Gante

Introduction:
in this speech we will show you some things about Real Madrid, this team is
considered current as the best of the last century since they have won the
prize of the aforementioned, they currently have more than 50 million
followers all over the world, including have the best footballer at the
moment as is Luka Modric, we will also tell you some things about great
players who have gone through these teams and what they did for him, also
compare how are the types of soccer in Europe and in Mexico and that
currently there is a big difference between these 2 because in one there is
not as much delinquency as in another, salaries and differences between
technicians and players, have you ever wondered how a team gets so much
money for a team? in Madrid there is an approximate 450 million euros for
tranfercias and 700 million salaries, impressive.
After I have given this brief introduction I will tell you a bit about the history
of Madrid
 HISTORY OF REAL MADRID:
The Real Madrid team of 1902, the year of its foundation.
Real Madrid C.F. are a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. In
addition to their domestic success, Real Madrid's reputation as a major club
was established by their outstanding record in the European Cup. To date, they
have been crowned champions of Europe a record thirteen times. Alfredo Di
Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás and other famous players helped the club win the
European Cup five times in a row between 1956 and 1960, which included the
memorable 7–3 Hampden Park final against German side Eintracht Frankfurt
in 1960. The club won for a sixth time in 1966 with the team known as the Ye-
Ye defeated Yugoslavian club Partizan 2–1 in the final with a team composed
entirely of Spanish-born players, a first in the competition. They were also
runners-up in 1962, 1964 and 1981. Winning the competition five consecutive
times saw Real permanently awarded the original cup and earning the right to
wear the UEFA badge of honour. They have also won the UEFA Cup twice and
were twice runners-up in the European Cup Winners Cup.
In 1996, president Lorenzo Sanz appointed Fabio Capello as coach. Although
his tenure lasted only one season, Real Madrid were proclaimed league
champions and several important players arrived at the club, such as Roberto
Carlos, Predrag Mijatović, Davor Šuker and Clarence Seedorf, to strengthen a
squad that already boasted the likes of Raúl, Fernando Hierro and Fernando
Redondo. As a result, Real Madrid, with the addition of Fernando Morientes in
1997, finally ended its 32-year wait for the seventh European Cup in 1998
under manager Jupp Heynckes, defeating Juventus 1–0 in the Final thanks to a
goal from Mijatović. Real Madrid would go on to win again in 2000, 2002
(under manager Vicente del Bosque), 2014 (under manager Carlo Ancelotti),
2016 ,2017 and 2018(under manager Zinedine Zidane).
Real Madrid is also six-time winners of the Intercontinental Cup/FIFA Club
World Cup, defeating Peñarol, Vasco da Gama, Olimpia Asunción, San Lorenzo,
Kashima Antlers and Grêmio in 1960, 1998, 2002, 2014, 2016 and 2017
respectively.
Luka Modric: Luka Modrić is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder
for Spanish club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Croatia national team. Modrić plays
mainly as a central midfielder but can also play as an attacking midfielder or as a defensive
midfielder, usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker. Modrić is widely regarded as one
of the best midfielders of his generation,[nb 1] and the greatest Croatian footballer of all-
time.[nb 2] Able to blend traditional and trequartista playmaking effectively, he is known
for his vision, precision in execution, and tactical strategy.

Born in Zadar, Modrić's childhood coincided with the Croatian War of Independence which
displaced his family. In 2002, he was signed by Dinamo Zagreb at age 16, after showing
promise with his hometown club's youth team. He continued his development in Zagreb
before spells on loan to Zrinjski Mostar and Inter Zaprešić. He made his debut for Dinamo
in 2005 and won three consecutive league titles and domestic cups, being named the Prva
HNL Player of the Year in 2007. In 2008, he moved to Premier League club Tottenham
Hotspur for a club-record transfer fee of £16.5 million, where he led Spurs to their first UEFA
Champions League appearance in almost 50 years, reaching the quarter-finals of the 2010–
11 tournament.

In the summer of 2012, Modrić joined Real Madrid for a £30 million transfer fee, where he
became a key contributor under head coach Carlo Ancelotti and helped the team win La
Décima, being elected to 2013–14 Champions League squad of the season. After Zinedine
Zidane took over Madrid, Modrić was critical to three consecutive Champions League titles
from 2015–16 to 2017–18, each time being voted into the squad of the season. He would
go on to win the La Liga Award for "Best Midfielder" in 2016 for the second time, and the
UEFA Club Football Award for "Best Midfielder" in 2017 and 2018. In 2015, he became the
first Croatian player to be included in the FIFA World XI, in which he was included once again
between 2016 and 2018, as well in the UEFA Team of the Year between 2016 and 2018. In
2018, Modrić became the first Croatian player to win the UEFA Men's Player of the Year
Award, and by winning The Best FIFA Men's Player and Ballon d'Or awards, he became the
first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the awards in more than
a decade.
Important Players:
DI Estefano
Ronaldo Nazario
Cristiano Ronaldo
Marcelo
Zidane
Raul
Casillas
Sergio Ramos
Gutti
Modric
Robhino
Kroos
Benzema
Bale
Bernabeu
Robben
 Differences in the leagues:

Currently European football has predominated more than the Mexican,

in Mexico there are a large number of young talents that have been
dismissed, meanwhile in Europe have been able to cope and make
them have their maximum level, the Mexican league is considered as
one of the worst worked while the Spanish is considered with the
league of the stars. why? because in Spain they have devoted more to
playing and fighting to get good results and leave the soul on the court
while in Mexico their mentality is very poor because they do not think
big, a clear example is the World Cup, in the last 3 World Cups Spain
has been stronger and better than Mexico

Santiago Bernabeu
Player, first-team captain, club maintenance, first-team manager and director
in an association with the club that would last nearly 70 years. He was
responsible for rebuilding the club after the Civil War and under his
presidency the construction of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and the
Ciudad Deportiva.

Bernabéu also reorganized the club at all levels in what would become the
normal operating hierarchy of professional clubs in the future, giving every
section and level of the club independent technical teams and recruiting
staff, such as Raimundo Saporta. Moreover, under Bernabéu's tutelage,
during the 1950s former Real Madrid Amateurs player Miguel Malbo founded
Real Madrid's youth academy, or "cantera," known today as La Fábrica.[3]

Finally, beginning in 1953, Bernabéu embarked upon a strategy of signing

world-class players from abroad, the most prominent being the Argentine
Alfredo di Stéfano, and built the world's first truly multinational squad.
During Bernabéu's presidency, many of Real Madrid's most legendary names
played for the club, including Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, Francisco Gento,
Héctor Rial, Raymond Kopa, José Santamaría, Miguel Muñoz, Amancio and
Santillana.

It was under Bernabéu's guidance that Real Madrid became established as a

major force in both Spanish and European football. Before passing away in
1978, Bernabéu had been the club's president for 33 years, during which Real
won one Intercontinental Cup, six European Cups, 16 La Liga titles and six
Spanish Cups.

The De Carlos Era (1978–1985)

After a brief period as interim president, Raimundo Saporta called for
elections. The club's treasurer, Luis de Carlos, resigned in order to run for
president. 26 July 1978 was the deadline for candidates to apply in order to
run for office. De Carlos submitted 3,352 documents endorsing his candidacy,
while the rest – gynaecologist Campos Gil and florist José Daguerre – did not
get the minimum number required in time. This called off the election and
Luis de Carlos was proclaimed president of Real Madrid.

On 4 June 1980, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium hosted the Copa del Rey
final between Real Madrid and Real Madrid Castilla, the club's second team
that was initially founded on 21 July 1972. Castilla managed to defeat four
First Division teams – Hércules, Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad and Sporting de
Gijón – to reach the final. Real Madrid defeated Castilla, coached by the
sorely-missed Juanjo, by a score of 6–1.

Later in the year, France Football magazine named Real Madrid "Best
European Team" of 1980. The jury took into account the two national titles
the team won that year – La Liga and the Copa del Rey – and the fact that
they reached the semifinals of the European Cup that season.
Despite the previous year's successes, the 1980–81 season had an unpleasant
finish for Madrid. On 26 April 1981, they lost the league title when the victory
chant was already being sung in Valladolid. Real Sociedad, who drew 2–2
against Sporting de Gijón in the last minute at El Molinón, claimed the title.
Barely one month later, in the 1981 European Cup Final on 27 May, an Alan
Kennedy goal gave Liverpool the European Cup title over Madrid.

The professional Real Madrid squad was one of four teams of the Primera
División to back the strike called on 11 April 1982. On that day, the Whites
played at Castellón with Castilla footballers and defeated the hosts 1–2.

The Final of the 1982 FIFA World Cup took place at the Santiago Bernabéu. In
a thrilling match, Italy outplayed West Germany and won 3–1. What most
spectators will remember most from that 11 July 1982 was the joy that
overcame President of Italy Sandro Pertini each time the Italian side scored.

With the presidential elections on the horizon, candidate Luis de Carlos

introduced Alfredo Di Stéfano and Amancio Amaro as coaches of the first
team and Castilla, respectively, on 19 May 1982. "The Arrow," as Di Stéfano
was popularly known, initially left Madrid in 1964 only to return 18 years
later. In the election, de Carlos defeated Ramón Mendoza in the election and
Di Stéfano, who signed on for two years, won five runner-up titles in his first
year as the Madridista coach.

Once the 1983–84 season had ended, Di Stéfano again said goodbye to Real
Madrid. Twenty-one years later he went through the same experience. His
contract ended on 30 June 1984 and Luis de Carlos decided not to re-sign him
due to the failure to achieve sporting success.
On 12 December 1984, Emilio Butragueño became a European household
name with an unforgettable performance against Anderlecht at the
Bernabéu. The Belgians were coming off a 3–0 first leg win in Brussels and
had the next round of the UEFA Cup in sight, but Butragueño crushed their
hopes with a three-goal performance (the others by Valdano [two] and
Sanchís) and Real Madrid won convincingly 6–1, progressing on aggregate.

Real Madrid's first two UEFA Cup titles were won back-to-back—the first in
1985 against Hungary's Videoton (3–0 at Sóstói Stadion and 0–1 at
Chamartín) and the second over 1. FC Köln in 1986 (5–1 at the Bernabéu and
losing 2–0 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin).

The Mendoza Era (1985–1995)

After two brief stints as a director and an election-time defeat to Luis de
Carlos, Ramón Mendoza's became president of Real Madrid in 1985, ushering
in the dawn of a new era in the history of the club.

La Quinta del Buitre

Further information: Quinta del Buitre
"La Quinta del Buitre" was the name given by Spanish sport journalist Julio
César Iglesias to the five homegrown Real Madrid players who were at the
core of the team that dominated Spanish football in the 1980s. The name,
meaning "Vulture's Cohort" in English, was derived from the nickname given
to its most charismatic member, Emilio Butragueño. The other four members
included Manolo Sanchís, Martín Vázquez, Míchel and Miguel Pardeza.

Sanchís and Martín Vázquez were the first to play for the first team of Real
Madrid, making their debut at Murcia on 4 December 1983 under coach
Alfredo Di Stéfano. Both played surprisingly well, with Sanchís scoring the
game's winner. A few months later, on 5 February 1984, Butragueño debuted
in an away match at Cádiz. El Buitre was an instant sensation and scored
twice. Pardeza was added to the first team that same season and Míchel
followed at the start of the next.

With La Quinta del Buitre (reduced to four members when Pardeza left the
club for Zaragoza in 1986), Real Madrid had one of the best teams in Spain
and Europe during the second half of the 1980s, winning, amongst others,
two UEFA Cups and five Spanish championships in a row. Their record was
only blemished by their failure to win the European Cup, and their continued
abject defeats against the far superior Milan side of the time.

Martín Vázquez went to play for Torino in 1990, later returning to Madrid in
1992 only to leave again in 1995 for Deportivo de La Coruña. Butragueño left
the club in 1995 and Míchel in 1996, both joining Atlético Celaya in Mexico.

Sanchís was the only member of La Quinta to play his entire career with
Madrid. By winning the Champions League twice (in 1998 and 2000), he
accomplish what La Quinta had failed to achieve in its glory days. He retired
in 2001 as the last active member of the famous cohort at the age of 37.

The Sanz era (1995–2000)

Soccer Field Transparant.svg

Casillas
Helguera
Karanka
Campo
Salgado
Roberto Carlos
McManaman
Redondo (C)
Raúl
Morientes
Anelka
2000 UEFA Champions League Final starting lineup.
After ten-and-a-half years in office, Ramón Mendoza handed in his
irrevocable resignation on 20 November 1995. He was relieved by Lorenzo
Sanz, who held recourse to Club by-law 49 to get elected as heir to Mendoza
by the 11 directors who continued on the Board of Directors following the
transfer of power. On 20 May 1996, Lorenzo Sanz presented Fabio Capello as
new head coach of Real Madrid. The Italian trainer landed in Madrid borne
out by his five successful seasons with Milan (with whom he won the 1994
Champions League) to replace Arsenio Iglesias, who managed the team on a
temporary basis after coach Jorge Valdano resigned. Although winning the
league, however, Capello left Madrid after just one season, saying years later
did so because he did not settle at Madrid as well as he would have wanted;
he returned to Milan.

Replacing Capello was the German Jupp Heynckes, who led the team to win
the much-awaited Champions League/European Cup title, the team's last
having come in 1966. In the Final, held at the Amsterdam Arena on 20 May
1998, the Merengues conquered their seventh top European trophy with a
goal by Pedja Mijatović against Juventus, who were the favourites on the
night. Despite conquering Europe, Heynckes was fired at the end of the year
and replaced by José Antonio Camacho, who himself resigned just months
later in July 1998 before the actual season even began. The team then hired
Guus Hiddink to take the reins of the squad, his first challenge being the 1998
Intercontinental Cup. An extraordinary goal by Raúl in Tokyo sealed a 2–1
end result for Los Blancos over Brazilian side Vasco da Gama. Hiddink,
however, was fired just after less than a season, with the Welshman John
Toshack replacing him in February 1999. Nine months later, during the 1999–
2000 season, Toshack was also fired, the seventh coaching change in just
three years.

Under the guidance of new manager Vicente del Bosque, Real Madrid
claimed their eighth European Cup/Champions League title. The Final, held at
the newly built Stade de France in Paris, would host the competition's
(including the European Cup era) first-ever Spanish final, pitting Madrid
against Valencia on 24 May 2000. The game Madrid comfortably defeat Los
Che 3–0, with goals coming from Fernando Morientes, Steve McManaman
and Raúl.

The Galactico/Pérez Era (2000–2006)

2000–2003
Further information: Galácticos
Soccer Field Transparant.svg

César
Hierro (C)
Helguera
Salgado
Roberto Carlos
Makelele
Figo
Solari
Zidane
Raúl
Morientes
2002 UEFA Champions League Final starting lineup.
In July 2000, Florentino Pérez was elected club president, vowing to erase the
club's debt and modernise the club's facilities, though the primary electoral
promise that propelled Pérez to victory was the signing of then-Barcelona
star Luís Figo. During the campaign, Pérez claimed he had an agreement with
the Portuguese winger that would see Figo move to the Bernabéu should
Pérez be elected. On July 16, Pérez won the election and indeed, eight days
later, Figo was presented with the number 10 shirt for Madrid.

Days later, surrounded by controversy, Real Madrid idol Fernando Redondo,

who had openly supported Pérez's opponent Lorenzo Sanz, was sold to
Italian giants Milan. During the summer of 2000, Real Madrid signed Claude
Makelele, Albert Celades, Flávio Conceição, César Sánchez, Pedro Munitis
and Santiago Solari, although aside from Makelele and Conceição, the rest
had been signed prior to the election of Pérez. Expectations were high as Los
Blancos began the 2000–01 season with the possibility of winning five
trophies. The club, however, stumbled at the first test, losing the 2000 UEFA
Super Cup by a score of 1–2 to 2000 UEFA Cup champions Galatasaray. Later,
an injury to Fernando Morientes left Real Madrid without a centre forward,
but manager Vicente del Bosque improvised by using youth team graduate
Guti in the role, with Real Madrid coping and making good start to both their
domestic and European campaigns. They were, however, defeated 2–0 at the
Camp Nou against rivals Barcelona and were later eliminated from the Copa
del Rey by lowly Toledo, as well as losing the Intercontinental Cup final to a
Boca Juniors side led by Martín Palermo and Juan Román Riquelme.

Nonetheless, Real Madrid recovered form and went top of the league table in
mid-January, a position they would not relinquish on their way to ultimately
winning the title. Madrid also advanced from the second group stage of the
Champions League to face Galatasaray in the quarter-finals. Los Merengues
lost the first leg in Istanbul 3–2, but recovered to win the tie after a 3–0
victory at the Bernabéu. This would then set-up a replay of the 1999–2000
Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich. This year, however,
Real Madrid would not reach the final, losing 1–3 on aggregate to the
eventual champions. Despite the setback, on 26 May, Madrid would crown
themselves champions of the first division with an emphatic 5–0 win over
Alavés at the Bernabéu. Two goals by Raúl and one each by Guti, Fernando
Hierro and Iván Helguera would ensure victory and Real Madrid's 28th league
title with two matches left to play.

Zinedine Zidane (left) and David Beckham (right) were two prominent
Galácticos.
After reaching an agreement to re-zone and sell the Ciudad Deportiva, Pérez
went on to sign Zinedine Zidane in 2001, Ronaldo in 2002 and David Beckham
in 2003. The media began referring to the team as "Los Galácticos". The
strategy, initially dubbed "Zidanes y Pavones", meant to integrate world stars
and youth team graduates together on the squad. The combination was highly-
successful, with Real winning La Liga in 2001 and 2003 and the Champions
League in 2002, their centenary year. They also won the Intercontinental Cup,
the European Super Cup[4] and the Supercopa de España in both 2001 and
2003. Off the field, the Zidanes y Pavones policy resulted in increased financial
success based on the exploitation of the club's high marketing potential
around the world, particularly in Asia.
2003–04 season
The few days after capturing the 2002–03 league title were mired with
controversy. The first controversial decision came when Pérez sacked winning
coach Vicente del Bosque after Real's sporting director claimed that Del
Bosque was not the right man for the job; they wanted someone young to
shake up the team. The turning atmosphere continued when Madrid legend
and captain Fernando Hierro left the club after a disagreement with
management, as did Steve McManaman. However, the club toured Asia in pre-
season and introduced newly signed galáctico David Beckham. Pérez and his
directors refused to renew Claude Makelele's contract with an improved
salary, upsetting Makelele who asked for a transfer, eventually moving to
Chelsea. In the final days of the transfer window, Fernando Morientes also left
the club, joining French Ligue 1 side Monaco on loan. Real Madrid, with newly
appointed coach Carlos Queiroz, began their domestic league slowly after a
hard-fought win over Real Betis.

Doubts of the team were quelled, however, when Madrid won 7–2 at home
over Real Valladolid. The second half of the season then saw the team giving
playing time to youngsters and academy graduates, including Borja, Álvaro
Mejía, Antonio Núñez and Juanfran, as Queiroz opted to rotate his squad. Real
Madrid also topped their group in the Champions League, advancing to the
quarter-finals after defeating Bayern Munich in the round of 16 2–1 on
aggregate. However, Madrid's on-loan striker Fernando Morientes punished
his team in the quarter-finals, as Madrid saw Monaco progress 5–5 on
aggregate via the away goals rule and move on to the semi-finals. Madrid
nonetheless kept their Liga form high, leading the table by eight point over
second-placed Valencia in February. A poor run of form would await them,
however, as they were beaten for the first time at the Bernabéu that season
at the hands of Osasuna, 0–3. They recovered their points lead after a win at
the Vicente Calderón Stadium over city rivals Atlético Madrid, but more
disappointments quickly followed; they lost their final five league games at
home to Mallorca, Barcelona and Real Sociedad, and also lost away at both
Real Murcia and Deportivo de La Coruña. These defeats allowed all of Valencia,
Barça and Deportivo to leapfrog them in the table and end the year in up the
top three, respectively, as Real ended the season in a disappointing fourth.
Their poor performances continued as they lost the final of the Copa del Rey
to Real Zaragoza. Shortly after the end of the season, Queiroz was sacked and
replaced by ex-Real Madrid player José Antonio Camacho.

2004–05 season
Camacho highlighted the team's poor defensive performances and persuaded
Florentino Pérez to spend a total of €45 million on both Argentine defender
Walter Samuel and English centre-back Jonathan Woodgate from Roma and
Newcastle United, respectively, but failed to sign Arsenal's midfield general
Patrick Vieira due to his boldness of asking for a Galáctico-like paycheck in the
likeness of Luís Figo's, Zinedine Zidane's, Ronaldo's and David Beckham's. The
summer of 2004 also saw the sale of Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o, who
had been previously loaned out to Mallorca, to archrivals Barcelona.

In addition to the defensive additions, English striker Michael Owen was

bought from Liverpool, but the player never settled at Real Madrid. Somewhat
ironically, Eto'o would go on to achieve great success with Barcelona in just his
first season with the team. Camacho resigned as head coach because of his
team's poor performances and was replaced by Mariano García Remón. García
Remón's last game was a loss at the hand of Sevilla, where the eventual
champions Barça were six points clear from their nearest rivals, and Madrid
sitting in lowly fifth. Remón was replaced by Vanderlei Luxemburgo after the
winter break, who then signed Thomas Gravesen from Everton to fill the hole
in midfield. Madrid failed to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions
League and in the Copa del Rey, but under Luxemburgo, Madrid fought hard
to earn second place with 80 points, four points behind Barcelona.

2005–06 season
The 2005–06 season began with several new signings, including Júlio Baptista
(€20 million), Robinho (€30 million) and Sergio Ramos (€30 million). However,
Luxemburgo was not able to find the right formula on the pitch, as Real
Madrid's poor form continued and hitting rock bottom after a humiliating 0–3
loss at the hands of Barcelona at the Bernabéu. Luxemburgo would eventually
resign and be replaced by Juan Ramón López Caro, the former the manager of
Real Madrid Castilla. A brief return to form came to an abrupt halt after losing
the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-final 6–1 to Zaragoza. Shortly after,
Real Madrid were eliminated from the Champions League for a fourth
successive year, this time by Arsenal. On 27 February 2006, Florentino Pérez
resigned as club president.[5] Real Madrid eventually managed to finish
second in the league but did not pose a serious threat to defending champions
Barcelona.

The Calderón Era (2006–2009)

2006–07 season
On July 2, 2006, Ramón Calderón was elected as club president and
subsequently appointed Fabio Capello as the new head coach and Predrag
Mijatović as the new sporting director. As new manager of Real Madrid,
Capello signed 2006 FIFA World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and
Emerson, both from embattled Juventus, for a total sum of €23 million; Ruud
van Nistelrooy from Manchester United for €15 million; Mahamadou Diarra
from Lyon for €26 million; and on a last minute trade-loan José Antonio Reyes,
with Júlio Baptista going the other way after a disappointing stint at Madrid.
However, Calderón failed to sign Milan's Kaká, Arsenal's Cesc Fàbregas and
Chelsea's Arjen Robben, as he had previously promised. Nonetheless, during
the January transfer window, he did manage to sign Fluminense left back
Marcelo (€6.5M), River Plate forward Gonzalo Higuaín (€13M) and Boca
Juniors midfielder Fernando Gago (€18M).

On 16 January 2007, Calderón made some very unfortunate comments about

the behaviour of some players in the squad and the Santiago Bernabéu fans,
which has put the club in a delicate situation.[6] One of the players that
Calderón criticised was David Beckham, who, in January 2007, agreed to a deal
to play for the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer (MLS) at the end of that
season. Among others to criticise Beckham was manager Fabio Capello, who
at the time vowed never to select Beckham for the team again, although he
later withdrew his words. At the end of January, striker Ronaldo left the club
for €7.5 million for Milan. On 9 February 2007, Capello allowed Beckham back
onto Real's starting 11 in an away match against Real Sociedad. Beckham
played well and scored the equalizing goal in the match, a 2–1 triumph. On 24
February 2007, the Madrid Derby between Atlético and Real at the Vicente
Calderón finished in a 1–1 draw, with goals coming from Fernando Torres and
Gonzalo Higuaín for Atlético and Real respectively.

On 7 March 2007, Real Madrid failed to reach the quarter-finals of the

Champions League, stifled by Bayern Munich's strong home performance.
Despite winning the home leg 3–2, they lost 2–1 at the Allianz Arena in Munich
and were eliminated on an away goals tiebreaker. Bayern also scored the
fastest goal in the Champions League during that match, after Roberto Carlos
lost the ball after kick-off, which led to Roy Makaay scoring in ten seconds.

On 10 March 2007, Real Madrid contested the Clásico against Barcelona at the
Camp Nou. Real Madrid took the lead three times after two goals from Ruud
van Nistelrooy and one from Sergio Ramos, but were pegged back by a hat-
trick from Lionel Messi, including an injury-time equaliser. Despite the sending
off of Oleguer, the Clásico ended 3–3.

Real Madrid managed to find their form consistently for the first time all
season as they managed to win seven out of eight of the final twelve games,
including a 2–1 home win over Valencia on 21 April 2007 and another 3–2
home win over Sevilla on 6 May 2007. Calderón then went on to say that if the
team keep up their great play, he was confident Real Madrid will win the
league title and end their four-year wait for a major trophy on June 17.

On 12 May 2007, despite not having Robinho and Beckham on the pitch (due
to separate yellow cards given in the previous match against Sevilla), Real
Madrid took over first place in the La Liga for the first time all season by
defeating Espanyol 4–3, coming back from 1–3 first half deficit. Los Blancos
were able to avoid a 3–3 draw thanks to an 89th-minute goal by Gonzalo
Higuaín. The Sunday after, Barça dropped points with a 1–1 draw to struggling
Real Betis. By virtue of their superior head-to-head record, Real Madrid sat at
the top of the Liga table with four crucial matches left to play. The following
Sunday, Real managed to beat Recreativo de Huelva 2–3 at the Nuevo
Colombino. With the score tied at 2–2, Real Madrid looked set return the lead
back to rivals Barcelona until Roberto Carlos scored at the end of the match
from a Fernando Gago assist and the squad left Huelva with just three games
left to play against, in order, Deportivo, Zaragoza and Mallorca.

On 26 May 2007, Real Madrid put in another excellent performance to defeat

Deportivo 3–1 at the Bernabéu. This victory made it six wins in a row for Real
Madrid, with goals from Sergio Ramos, Raúl and Ruud van Nistelrooy securing
the win. On 9 June, Real played their penultimate league fixture against
Zaragoza at La Romareda. The match began badly when Real Madrid were
forced to change their starting lineup mere minutes before the start of the
match when young defender Miguel Torres suffered an injury during warm-
up, tearing his hamstring. In the game, Zaragoza led Real 2–1 near the end of
the match, while Barcelona were also winning against Espanyol 2–1. Real's title
challenge looked to be over. A late Van Nistelrooy equalizer, however,
followed by a last minute Raúl Tamudo goal for Espanyol, sprang Real Madrid's
title hopes back into their favour. Sevilla were also held 0–0 away against
Mallorca, which meant that a win at home against Mallorca would effectively
secure Los Merengues their 30th Spanish league title.

The title was won on 17 June, where Real faced Mallorca at the Bernabéu,
while Barcelona and Sevilla faced Gimnàstic de Tarragona and Villarreal,
respectively. At half-time, Real were 0–1 down, while Barcelona had surged
ahead into a 0–3 lead in Tarragona; however, three goals in the last half-an-
hour secured Real Madrid a 3–1 win and their first league title since 2003. The
first goal came from José Antonio Reyes, who scored after a good work from
Higuaín. An own goal followed by another delightful goal from Reyes allowed
Real to begin celebrating the title. Thousands of Real Madrid fans began going
to Plaza de Cibeles to celebrate the title.

2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons

Real Madrid's players celebrate their 2008 Supercopa de España win.
On 25 August, Real Madrid kicked off the season in a derby against city rivals
Atlético Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu. It was a highly entertaining display
from both sides but Real managed to win 2–1, with goals from Raúl and Wesley
Sneijder for Real, while Sergio Agüero scored for Atlético. It was a great start
for Real as they showed skill and that they were adapting to the new style of
play new manager Bernd Schuster had brought in. On 28 August, Sevilla's
Antonio Puerta died after three days in the hospital. The Santiago Bernabéu
Trophy, which Real Madrid was about contend for against Sporting CP, was
cancelled in honour of Puerta. On 2 September, Real Madrid managed to win
5–0 against Villarreal at El Madrigal, with two goals from Sneijder, one from
Raúl, one from Ruud van Nistelrooy and one from Guti. Real extended their
winning streak to three after they beat Almería at home before earning a well-
deserved 1–1 draw against Real Valladolid, with Javier Saviola scoring the
equalizer three minutes from final time.

Four days later, Real remained unbeaten as they beat Real Betis 2–0 at the
Bernabéu, with goals from Raúl and an amazing bicycle kick from Júlio Baptista.
Real continued their unbeaten run under Schuster by beating Getafe 0–1 away
to ensure Los Blancos remain at the summit of La Liga.

Real began their European campaign well, defeating German side Werder
Bremen 2–1 at home thanks to goals from Raúl and Van Nistelrooy and topping
their group over Olympiacos, Werder Bremen and Lazio, respectively.
However, they lost in the first knockout round against Roma, 4–2 on aggregate.

On 9 December 2008, it was announced Bernd Schuster had been sacked as

manager, and that ex-Tottenham Hotspur manager Juande Ramos would
replace him.[7] The next year, Real Madrid also were dumped from the
Champions League in the last 16 stage, for the fourth time in a row, after a
humiliating 5–0 aggregate defeat against Liverpool.

The Era of Cristiano Ronaldo/the return of Perez (2009–present)

2009–10 season

Cristiano Ronaldo was the club's most expensive signing when he joined in
2009, costing €94 million.
After no one of the 2009 presidency election was able to get the necessary
funds (€56 million), on 1 June, Florentino Pérez was officially announced as
Real Madrid's new president. His first move was to sign Brazilian superstar
Kaká from Milan for an undisclosed fee, though believed to be £56 million
(€68M).[8] On 11 June 2009, Real Madrid officially announced on their website
that an £80 million (€94M) offer for Portuguese Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano
Ronaldo had been accepted by his club, Manchester United, after the player
had expressed his desire to leave the club for Los Merengues. On 25 June, Raúl
Albiol joined Real Madrid from Valencia on a fee thought to be in the region of
€15 million. On 26 June, the deal for Ronaldo was finalized, with the player
becoming officially a Real Madrid player on 1 July.[9]

On 1 July 2009, it was also announced that Lyon had reached an agreement
with Madrid for the transfer of French striker Karim Benzema. The transfer fee
was priced at €35 million with the fee rising to as much as €41 million based
on incentives.[10] Madrid continued their spending on 29 July, reaching an
agreement with Liverpool for the transfer of Álvaro Arbeloa for a fee of €4
million, the same Liverpool paid for the player in January 2007 from Real.
Arbeloa signed a five-year contract with Los Blancos. Xabi Alonso, also from
Liverpool, was announced as Real Madrid's latest signing on 5 August, with
Liverpool receiving around £30 million for the transfer of the Spanish
midfielder.[11]
Real Madrid opened the 2009–10 season with a 3–2 home win over Deportivo
de La Coruña with goals scored by Raúl, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lassana Diarra.
On 15 September, Real Madrid achieved their first Champions League win in
the group stage against Zürich, winning 5–2 in Zürich.[12] On 4 October, after
seven consecutive wins in all the competitions, Real Madrid lost for the first
time of the season at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán 2–1 to Sevilla. On 27 October,
Real Madrid were defeated 4–0 by third tier team Alcorcón in the round of 32
first leg of the Copa del Rey.[13]

In spite of the record investment, Real Madrid overall failed to deliver in the
2009–10 season; there was no progress in the Champions League, as they were
eliminated once again in the round of 16, this time to Lyon. There was,
however, an improvement in Liga performance, and the club forced the title
race to go down to go the last game. Nevertheless, Real Madrid finished
second again, and once again they lost at home and away to title rivals
Barcelona. The club turned to José Mourinho, who had just ended
Internazionale's 45-year title-drought in the European competition,
eliminating Barcelona in the process and achieving the treble.

2010–11 season

José Mourinho with Real Madrid in August 2010.

Despite the departure of club legends Raúl and Guti, Madrid saw seven new
names join their squad list for the upcoming season: Sergio Canales (Racing de
Santander), Ángel Di María (Benfica), Pedro León (Getafe), Ricardo Carvalho
(Chelsea), Sami Khedira (VfB Stuttgart) and Mesut Özil (Werder Bremen).
Striker Emmanuel Adebayor would later join on loan from Manchester City
during the winter transfer window.

The 2010–11 campaign started out slowly, with a 0–0 draw to Mallorca, but
they soon picked up momentum, despite a draw at Levante in the fifth week
of the season. The first defeat in all competitions came in a humiliating 5–0
loss at the Camp Nou to rivals Barcelona on 29 November 2010.

In European competition, Real Madrid came in first in their group, ahead of

Milan, Ajax and Auxerre. They eased through the round of 16 against Lyon, and
the quarter-finals against Champions League newcomers Tottenham Hotspur,
reaching the semi-finals for the first time in eight years.

In April 2011, a strange occurrence happened; for the first time ever, four
Clásicos were to be played in a span of 18 days. The first fixture was for the
Liga campaign on 17 April (which ended 1–1 with penalty goals for both sides),
the Copa del Rey final (which ended 1–0 to Madrid), and the controversial two-
legged Champions League semi-final on 27 April and 2 May (3–1 loss on
aggregate) to Madrid.

The first Clásico saw Cristiano Ronaldo score his first goal against Barça due to
a penalty given to Madrid after a foul to Marcelo. The Copa del Rey final gave
Real Madrid its first title under Mourinho with a header from Ronaldo in extra
time. The Champions League semi-final was perhaps the most controversial of
the four, with the expulsion of Pepe in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu,
after an alleged "dangerous challenge" to Barça defender Dani Alves. Alves
was carried out in a stretcher "unable to walk", but after Pepe was shown red,
Alves came running back into the field within seconds. After Pepe's sending
off, coach José Mourinho was also sent off, receiving a fine and a five-match
ban. This same match was also controversial in that Barcelona midfielder
Sergio Busquets being captured on video saying what seemed like a supposed
racial slur to Madrid left-back Marcelo. The second leg was not as controversial
as the first, with perhaps the exception of an annulled goal to Gonzalo Higuaín
after Cristiano Ronaldo had "fouled" Javier Mascherano as a result of a foul to
Ronaldo by Gerard Piqué.
Real Madrid ended the season with a bang, scoring 21 goals in their last four
league matches for a grand total of 102 goals, higher than any other side,
despite being known as a "defensive" team. Cristiano Ronaldo also became the
all-time highest goalscorer in a single La Liga season with 40 goals, ahead of
Liga legends Telmo Zarra and Hugo Sánchez. For the 2010–11 campaign, Real
Madrid ended as Copa champions, Liga runners-up and Champions League
semi-finalists.

2011–12 season
During the summer market for the 2011–12 season, five new players joined
the team: Nuri Şahin (Borussia Dortmund), former Real Madrid canterano José
Callejón (Espanyol), Hamit Altıntop (Bayern Munich), Fábio Coentrão (Benfica)
and French teenager Raphaël Varane (Lens). Real Madrid also disputed the
very first Clásicos of the season during the Supercopa de España, where they
were runners-up after a 5–4 aggregate loss; Mourinho poked Barcelona
assistant Tito Vilanova in the eye during a brawl in the closing stages of this
match. Along with five Clásicos in the past campaign, Real Madrid clashed with
rivals Barcelona for a record seven times in nine months.

The beginning of the Liga season started out with a 6–0 and 4–2 thrashings of
Real Zaragoza and Getafe, respectively. After a rough patch will included a
surprising loss to Levante and a mediocre draw at Racing de Santander, Madrid
came back, scoring 14 goals and conceding only three in three games.[14]

2012–13 season
Real Madrid began the season by winning the Supercopa de España against
Barcelona 4–4 on aggregate, winning on away goals. New signing Luka Modrić
from Tottenham debuted in the second leg. In the Champions League, they
were drawn into the "group of death" with Borussia Dortmund, Manchester
City and Ajax who were all title holders in their domestic league. They finished
second behind the German champions. They then went on to defeat
Manchester United and Galatasaray respectively to reach the semi-finals,
where they were eliminated by Borrusia Dortmund 4–3 on aggregate. After a
poor start to their La Liga campaign with a home draw with Valencia and
defeats at Getafe and Sevilla, they finished second and a total of 15 points
behind winners Barcelona. After a disappointing extra time loss to rivals
Atlético Madrid on home turf in the Copa del Rey final, club president
Florentino Pérez announced the departure of manager José Mourinho at the
end of the season via "mutual agreement".

2013–14 and 2014–2015 seasons

Soccer Field Transparant.svg

Casillas (C)
Varane
Ramos
Carvajal
Coentrão
Khedira
Modrić
Di María
Bale
Ronaldo
Benzema
2014 UEFA Champions League Final starting lineup.
A deadline day transfer saw the departure to Arsenal of one of the most
influential midfielders over the past few years for Madrid, Mesut Özil. Earlier
in that summer, Carlo Ancelotti was named the new coach of Madrid to
replace the departing José Mourinho, who had joined his former club Chelsea.
Ancelotti's first new signings were the two young talented players: Isco from
Málaga and Asier Illarramendi from Real Sociedad. The signing of Gareth Bale
from Tottenham for a world record €105 million came later in the summer,
making the team the most expensive in the world that year.[15]

Real Madrid completed the League Cup/European double by winning the Copa
del Rey and the Champions League. In mid-season, Cristiano Ronaldo won the
FIFA Ballon d'Or for being crowned the world's best player. Madrid finished
third in the league after Atlético Madrid and Barcelona.

The season began with new signings of goalkeeper Keylor Navas from Levante,
midfielder Toni Kroos from Bayern Munich and attacking midfielder James
Rodríguez from Monaco. On 12 August, the club won its 79th official trophy,
winning the 2014 UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla with two goals from Cristiano
Ronaldo. After early defeats in the 2014–15 La Liga season to Real Sociedad
and rivals Atlético Madrid, the team went on a record-breaking winning run
which included a win over Barcelona in a home Clásico match. In December
2014, the team won the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup final 2–0 against San
Lorenzo and ended the calendar year with four trophies. Their winning streak
ended in their first match of 2015 against Valencia in the La Liga. The team
finished as runner-up in La Liga, two points behind champions Barcelona.

2015–2018: Domestic Success and Champions League treble

Soccer Field Transparant.svg

Navas
Ramos (C)
Pepe
Carvajal
Marcelo
Casemiro
Modrić
Kroos
Bale
Ronaldo
Benzema
2016 UEFA Champions League Final starting lineup.
Soccer Field Transparant.svg

Navas
Ramos (C)
Varane
Carvajal
Marcelo
Casemiro
Modrić
Kroos
Isco
Ronaldo
Benzema
2017, 2018 deployed the same starting lineup in finals

La Décima winning coach Carlo Ancelotti was sacked on 25 May 2015 after
failing to guide the club to a major trophy in 2014–15.[16] He was replaced by
Rafael Benítez on 3 June 2015.[17] Casemiro and Danilo were bought from
Porto for a fee of €7.5 million and €31.5 million respectively.[18] Marco
Asensio and Lucas Vázquez also joined the club, while Sami Khedira signed for
Juventus after his contract was not renewed by the club.[19] Javier Hernández
departed after end of his loan spell. Goalkeeper Iker Casillas left the club on 11
July 2015, joining Porto after 25 years with Madrid.[20][21] Kiko Casilla was
signed as his replacement on 17 July 2015.[22] On 18 August 2015, Mateo
Kovačić was signed from Internazionale.[23] On 4 January 2016, it was
announced Benítez was sacked and replaced by club legend Zinedine
Zidane.[24] 28 May 2016, Real Madrid won their 11th UEFA Champions League
title after defeating city rivals Atlético Madrid for the second time in three
years. Real Madrid finished as runners-up in La Liga, only one point behind
Barcelona.

The 2016–17 season was the greatest campaign in terms of trophies won in
the history of Real Madrid, as the club attained four titles, a feat previously
never achieved by Real.[25]
Real Madrid won the 2017 UEFA Super Cup 2–1 against Manchester United on
8 August.[26] Five days later, Real Madrid beat Barcelona at the Camp Nou 1–
3 in the first leg of the 2017 Supercopa de España. Three days later, Real won
the second leg 2–0, ending a 24 consecutive scoring record of Barcelona in El
Clásico