Real: from the White House to a trophy-less season – it’s just one letter’s difference

Knocked out by Bayern Munich (1-2, 3-4) in the Champions League quarter-finals, Real Madrid are unlikely to win any trophies this season. For the second time since 2010, Los Merengues could end up empty-handed.

A trophy-less season, for real? This time, Kylian Mbappé won’t be able to cling to two minor titles to play the nitpicker. For the first time in ten years, the French striker is highly likely not to win a single trophy with his club in 2025–2026.

Knocked out in the Champions League quarter-finals by Bayern Munich (1-2, 3-4) on Wednesday, Real Madrid are heading for a season of failures. This is obviously an anomaly for this institution, which is used to collecting titles every year.

A trophy-less season in Madrid: a rarity

Barring an unlikely turnaround in La Liga, the Whites will therefore come away empty-handed this season, for only the second time in 16 years, following the 2020–21 campaign. Too limited to compete with the biggest names in the Champions League, despite the strength of its heritage and experience, Real were knocked out at the quarter-final stage, just as they were last year against Arsenal (0-3, 1-2), who outclassed them. There will, in all likelihood, be no domestic title to offer any consolation.

In January, Real Madrid suffered back-to-back defeats, losing the Spanish Super Cup final to FC Barcelona (2–3) – just as they did in 2025 – before being knocked out in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey by Albacete (2–3), a modest second-division side. As for the league, it’s not quite over yet, but it’s already all but decided: Real Madrid, in second place, trail their Barcelona rivals by nine points, with the latter comfortably leading the table and on the verge of a back-to-back title.

Arbeloa couldn’t care less about his future

There is even a scenario in which Barça could be officially crowned champions during the Clásico at Camp Nou on 10 May, but whatever the outcome, this trophy-less season, should it indeed be confirmed, would reflect a massive failure for Real Madrid’s new model. For example, since his arrival in the summer of 2024, when the club was fresh from a Champions League victory and a league title won in style, Mbappé has had to settle for just a European Super Cup and an Intercontinental Cup to bolster his trophy haul. The record over the last two seasons is very meagre for such a top-tier player.

This raises the question of how Real will rebuild next year. As for the managerial side of things, manager Álvaro Arbeloa did not want to be the centre of attention, stating that “now is not the time” to discuss his future. “For the time being, I’m going to support the club right to the end. Tonight, Real Madrid are hurting. I’m a man of the club and the only thing I want is for Real to win,” the former full-back said at a press conference. This could involve bringing in reinforcements during the transfer window, as Dean Huijsen, Franco Mastantuono and Álvaro Carreras, who arrived last summer, have so far proved to be flops. Changes will be needed for Real to become Real again.