A 5-2 defeat for 'Los Blancos' against Barcelona in the Super Cup final put to rest any dreams of seven historic titles this season.
It was always an ambitious outside 'ask' as, for the first time ever, major European clubs could aim to win seven major titles in the current football season thanks to the introduction of the expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Only two clubs have ever managed to claim every available title in a given season, with Guardiola's FC Barcelona first achieving the feat in 2009 by winning LaLiga, Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup, along with the Champions League , the European Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. Bundesliga giants FC Bayern Munich repeated the sweep in 2020.
Two titles in the bag
The club's journey to seventh title heaven began in Poland last August, when they swept aside Serie A side Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw. New signing Kylian Mbappe made his debut and scored the second goal as part of a 2-0 win over Bergamo.
Title number two fell in Doha last December when Liga MX team CF Pachuca were outclassed by Santiago Bernabeu as part of a 3-0 win that saw coach Ancelotti lift his 15th title on Madrid's bench.
Madrid falls short in Jeddah
Despite Real Mallorca being sidelined in the semi-finals to set up a final clash against arch-rivals Barcelona, it was Hansi Flick's side who turned the style around at the King Abdullah Sports Stadium on Sunday as they outclassed Madrid as part of a 5-2 match. win. The score could indeed have been more extensive, but Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny's red card reduced the Catalan side to ten men for most of the second half.
What titles are still on offer for Madrid?
Despite the deficit, Real Madrid are far from eliminated, with four pieces of silverware still at stake in the remainder of the coming season.
'Los Blancos' return to competitive action this Thursday when they take on Celta Vigo in the Copa del Rey round of 16. The 2025 final will be held again in Seville in April.
The LaLiga title race appears to be a three-horse race between Madrid, FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, with Diego Simeone's side arguably having the strongest squad in LaLiga and currently sitting at the top of the table at mid-season.
The Champions League group stages resume next week and Madrid are unlikely to secure a place in the top eight with excellent games against RB Salzburg and Brest.
Defeats against Lille, Milan and Liverpool this season have shown how vulnerable the team is in Europe, but despite these setbacks, it would take a brave man not to bet against 'Los Blancos' who take to the field in May next year Munich final.
The final silverware on offer in the 2024-2025 season will be contested in the US as the 32-team FIFA Club World Cup gets underway.
The draw for the group stage took place last December and Real Madrid received a fairly favorable draw, as they were in a group with RB Salzburg (Austria), CF Pachuca (Mexico) and Saudi team Al Hilal.
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