The Highs and Lows for Real Madrid in 2015
So 2015, then. What a year, huh?
Well, for some, it was, at least. But not for Real Madrid.
After a truly blissful calendar year in 2014, the Spanish capital has endured a year of staggering contrast in 2015. As ever with Real Madrid, it's been eventful but not in a pleasant way. Instead, it's been frustrating. Shambolic. Even comical at times.
Earlier in December, Marca reflected on "a ludicrous five months at the Bernabeu." Over in Catalonia, Sport took it further and gleefully dubbed Madrid's year as "Annus Horribilis."
That just about sums it up, and across the following slides we reflect on the plethora of lows that surrounded a small number of highs for Real Madrid in 2015.
Low: Loss to Valencia, the Beginning of the Descent
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It was the loss that started it all.
When Real Madrid travelled to Mestalla to take on Valencia at the beginning of January, they went there with new gold badges on their shirts, a Club World Cup title having capped off a stunning 2014. They also took with them a record-breaking, 22-game winning streak; at that moment, Madrid looked unstoppable.
Or so we thought.
After receiving a guard of honour from Valencia prior to kick-off, Real Madrid then received a physical battering. From 1-0 up, they fell to a 2-1 defeat as the hosts grew increasingly ferocious, harassing Madrid with an intensity that whipped the often-raucous Mestalla into a frenzy.
Madrid left empty-handed for the first time in almost four months, and barely a thing has gone right since.
High: Cristiano Ronaldo's Capture of the Ballon D'Or
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Though it wasn't on the pitch, and though it was awarded for achievements in the previous calendar year, Cristiano Ronaldo's capture of the Ballon d'Or in January was still a notable moment for both Ronaldo and Real Madrid.
After lifting the trophy 12 months earlier as well, the Portuguese won his second straight World Player of the Year crown thanks to a 2014 that saw him net 61 goals for club and country while steering Real Madrid to four titles and the coveted La Decima.
In doing so, Ronaldo took his career tally of such awards to three. Only Lionel Messi has more.
Low: The Mauling at the Calderon
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Back in 2011, when Real Madrid hosted Atletico Madrid in the league at the Bernabeu, a banner in the stands directed at the visitors had read: "Wanted: a worthy rival for a decent derby."
So when Atletico handed out a 4-0 mauling to Real at the Vicente Calderon in February, only one phrase came to mind: Be careful what you wish for.
Low: The Schalke Embarrassment
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It was a truly bizarre evening. On the night, Real Madrid had lost and yet in the bigger picture they'd won, but that wasn't the point; the Bernabeu was furious anyway.
In the stands, whistles echoed and white handkerchiefs waved. As they did, Cristiano Ronaldo angrily shook his head and later Carlo Ancelotti had to apologise: "I'm very sorry," he said. "We played very badly and that is bad for our image." Roy Keane went further and said Real Madrid looked like a "pub team."
He wasn't wrong.
That evening, Real Madrid, carrying a two-goal advantage from the tie's first leg, scraped through to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 4-3 defeat at home to Schalke—a Schalke team that would go on to win only two of their next 10 games and cost manager Roberto Di Matteo his job.
Low: The Decisive Clasico Setback
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The teams had switched places and they'd exchanged momentum, but even so, when Real Madrid travelled to the Camp Nou for the second Clasico of the 2014-15 season, just a single point separated them from Barcelona at the top.
As such, the encounter took on the feel of a title decider even if technically it wasn't; 10 games would still be there to play, but that didn't seem to matter. This was it. And boy, was it good.
In characteristic Clasico fashion, the game was enthralling and breathless as Barcelona and Madrid traded blows in a frenetic, open game. Jeremy Mathieu went first. Cristiano Ronaldo went second. Luis Suarez went third—it was the knockout blow.
Despite Madrid putting in their best performance for months, they finished the game with nothing and departed four points behind their great rivals.
The deficit was never erased.
High: Victory over Atletico, at Last
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Marca had dubbed it the "never-ending derby," and Atletico didn't want it to end.
In seven meetings in 2014-15 prior to the second-leg clash in the Champions League quarter-finals, Diego Simeone's men had gone undefeated against their glamorous neighbours and had inflicted defeat upon them four times. Do so once more and Atleti would be responsible for derailing Real in four competitions in a single season.
For Atleti, it was the stuff of dreams, and everything was stacking up in their favour: They were healthier, more united and in better form, while Madrid had been watching their season slowly fall away and were decimated by injuries.
In a way they hadn't been for maybe decades, Atleti might have been favourites, but then something strange happened. No longer the extreme underdogs, Simeone and Co. lost their position of comfort and subsequently lost their nerve; instead of attacking, they went negative and handed away the initiative, playing for penalties rather than trusting their own quality.
Consequently, Madrid, even in their muddled state, grabbed control of the game and won it when Javier Hernandez poked home a late winner.
It was one of the few high points of Real Madrid's calendar year.
Low: The Day Carlo Ancelotti Was Sacked
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Six months earlier, Carlo Ancelotti had held aloft the Club World Cup trophy. Four months before that, he'd lifted the UEFA Super Cup trophy. Three months before that, he'd proudly carried the Champions League trophy. A month before that, he'd done the same with the Copa del Rey trophy.
But in May, Real Madrid sacked him anyway. And when president Florentino Perez was asked for the specific reasons why the Italian had been sacked, the first four words of his response, per AS, said it all: "Erm, I don't know," he said.
Low: Making a Hash of Iker Casillas' Departure
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Farewell No. 1: Iker Casillas sat in a room with only the media for company, tears in his eyes as he read a short statement. His team-mates were on their way to Australia and not a single representative from the club sat alongside him. There, alone, distressed, one of the greatest players in Real Madrid's history was leaving through the back door.
Twenty-four hours later, farewell No. 2: Fanfare, a presidential press conference, waiting fans, trophies and warmth. In theory it was fitting, but after the events of the day before, it felt forced, insincere and just all wrong.
Low: The 'Fax-Machine' Saga
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It was a transfer saga that became a power struggle and eventually became a farce.
From May through to late August, reports raged endlessly of David De Gea's seemingly inevitable move from Manchester United to Real Madrid, as the two heavyweights played out a cagey off-field battle. As the saga wore on, it grew increasingly complex, involving other players and speculated terms, but one fact remained simple: Real Madrid had all summer to get the deal done.
Instead, it was left to the last minute. Actually, that's incorrect; the last minute of the deadline had passed when Madrid eventually filed their registration request to the LFP. They'd also missed the deadline for FIFA's online Transfer Matching System.
And still, they pointed the blame elsewhere.
High: Cristiano Ronaldo Breaking Raul's Goalscoring Record
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Real Madrid and Marca said the record was his after the goals against Malmo; everyone else said it was his after the strike against Levante. But the when doesn't really matter now—the record is his and there's no disputing it.
In frightening speed, Cristiano Ronaldo has stormed past the iconic Raul to become the greatest goalscorer in Real Madrid's history, the significance of which we explained in October:
"Now, the Portuguese stands on his own, not just at a club but perhaps the club. At Real Madrid. And there's another number of equal significance.
For Raul, the navigation of an exhaustive 741 games across 16 seasons were necessary to scale the heights of 323 goals. For Ronaldo and his now 324, those numbers are 310 and little more than six. Think about it, and when you have, think about it some more: He's beaten one of Europe's most iconic records by 431 games.
It's not just a statistic but perhaps the statistic.
"
Low: Humiliation at the Hands of Barcelona
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It wasn't 5-0. It wasn't 6-2, either. But it was just as brutal as both of those. Just as devastating.
Luis Suarez, thump.
Neymar, thump.
Andres Iniesta, thump.
Suarez, thump.
Each blow did more damage than the last, and the ramifications of that loss will be felt for some time.
Low: 'Cadizazo'
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To the Cadiz fans, it was hilarious. "Benitez, check your Twitter," they sang in the stands, as the news filtered around the Estadio Ramon de Carranza.
That news, of course, centred on Denis Cheryshev. The Real Madrid winger had started and scored in his team's Copa del Rey clash with Cadiz, which was great. Except for the fact he was ineligible to play.
When the second half started, Cheryshev was quickly substituted, but it didn't matter, the damage had already been done. Cadiz subsequently appealed and Madrid, after a disastrous month, were knocked out of the cup.
"Cadizazo," said Marca.
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