Until the Intercontinental Cup, Madrid had played only one match away from home, before 9pm.
Late nights, same old routine. This is Real Madrid's slogan every time they board a plane to play outside the capital. Week after week, the pattern persists. Within the club, questions about the schedule are now answered with sarcasm: “What else could it be at 9 p.m.?”
And more often than not they are right. Of the thirteen away games the team has played so far this season, only two have started before 9 p.m. – and even that comes with caveats. One was in Butarque and the other during the Intercontinental Cup. Simply put, until the Intercontinental Cup, Madrid had not played a single away match outside Madrid before 9 p.m.
Although the tone has been given a humorous touch, it is essentially fueled by irony. Behind the humor lies a growing frustration, both within the team and the club as a whole.
Late night competitions and athlete burnout
Elite sports in the evening have hidden costs that are not widely understood. A few years ago, tennis player Alexander Zverev spoke out against late-night tournaments, saying:
“An athlete is done, then has to cycle, do physical therapy, eat and finally try to sleep while still carrying the stress of competition. Sometimes you don't go to bed until 4 a.m.
This sentiment resonates deeply in football, even if players have yet to publicly raise their voices. But quietly, Real Madrid is starting to consider this.
Madrid's grueling programme
Here's an overview of Real Madrid's away games this season and their local kick-off times:
“It's not normal”
“We are fed up,” explains an insider. “Every time we play an away game, if we're lucky, we don't get home until three o'clock. And the next day we are expected to train! It's hard enough to rest with such a full schedule, but this late kick-off makes it almost impossible.”
The exhaustion is shared by the players. Adjusting to a 9 p.m. schedule means interrupted sleep and poor recovery. The problem has reached such a level that Carlo Ancelotti has reduced the intensity of training after night matches to help the team cope.
Little hope for change
For the time being, there are no signs that the situation is improving. The first match of 2025, in Mestalla, is also scheduled for 9 p.m. – business as usual. However, there is a small postponement in the Copa del Rey: the match against Deportiva Minera starts at 7 p.m. A rarity worth celebrating.
By then it will have been 145 days since the competition started, which marks Madrid's first match outside the capital before 8pm. But the feeling is clear: little will change in LaLiga. Pessimism prevails among the self-proclaimed 'lords of the night'. If you visit their stadium, bet on a 9pm kick-off. The margin of error is small. It is Real Madrid's other unwritten law.
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