Internal tension and fights: Real Madrid’s ‘annus horribilis’

The 2025-2026 season of the most successful team in Spain and Europe could be titled 'the chronicle of an absolute decomposition'. Real Madrid is going through one of the most critical moments of its 124-year history. An accumulation of sporting and non-sporting events and situations - some of them of extreme gravity that have damaged the image of the institution - obliges it to undergo not only a thorough reflection; also a deep restructuring and renovation so that this season can be a turning point and return success to a crest that has long lived under the expectation of it.

A blank season

With the FIFA Club World Cup, held almost a year ago, Real Madrid kicked off a new season, the 2025-2026, and a new stage, giving Xabi Alonso the reins of the squad after the departure of Italian Carlo Ancelotti, the coach who has given the institution the most titles in its history. The return of Alonso - previously, he coached the youth team and was also a Real Madrid player - excited all Madrid fans. However, his tenure was shorter than expected.

After seven months on the bench, Real Madrid dismissed Alonso after losing the Spanish Super Cup to FC Barcelona. In addition to the defeat against the eternal rival, the coach had disagreements with some of his players.

Alonso was replaced by the youth team coach, Alvaro Arbeloa. A man 'raised' in Real Madrid, a former player who knows perfectly the structure of one of the most famous institutions in the world. However, his start at the helm of Real Madrid was not the desired one: eliminated in the Copa del Rey by Albacete, a second-tier team. In other words, another title that had escaped the team.

The season continued and Real Madrid set itself the goal of fighting for the two remaining titles: LaLiga and the UEFA Champions League. The two that, by decree, are given more value each season. But, once again, another sporting catastrophe arrived.

After beating SL Benfica in the UEFA Champions League playoff and Manchester City in the round of 16 - the only positive news of the season - the team had to face one of its great rivals in Europe: Bayern Munich. And what happened? That their journey in European soccer's top competition - with which they had a 'romance' - came to an end. The German team defeated them in the two quarter-final clashes: 1-2 at the Bernabeu and 4-3 in Germany. Summary: Real Madrid was eliminated from the UEFA Champions League. It was no longer two titles they had lost this season, but three.

Only LaLiga remains. It is not impossible to win it, but it is improbable. Real Madrid has lost matches it should have won. In their next match, they face FC Barcelona at Camp Nou. If the eternal rival does not lose, they will be champion, which would certify a blank season -without titles - for Real Madrid.

The plague of injuries

The lack of a clear idea of the game and personality on the pitch are the two main reasons why Real Madrid has fared so badly this season. Even so, that does not take away from the fact that there have been other factors that have triggered this annus horribilis of the institution.

One of those conditioning factors has been the plague of injuries that the team has suffered this season. More than 25 reports have been issued by Real Madrid's medical services.

The injuries are varied, both muscular and osseous, and with different degrees of severity and have forced more than one player to undergo surgery.

Several players considered important within the Madrid squad have seen how muscular discomfort or injuries have torpedoed their regularity in the competitions played by Real Madrid this season. Thibaut Courtois, Éder Militao, Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo Goes and Dani Carvajal are some of the key players who have missed games due to injuries.

Except in some cases, which have been due to the game against rivals, most of the injuries are attributed to the lack of proper physical preparation. Hence, the physical trainers of the team have been targeted.

Obvious internal tension

While in charge of managing the team, the aforementioned Alonso had his ups and downs with some players. The most notable was the one with Vinícius Jr..

With the arrival of Arbeloa, it seemed that understanding and unity were coming. But that was not the case. The current Real Madrid coach has also disagreed with some of the players on the squad. According to reports in Spain's main sports newspapers, the player with whom he has clashed the most was Carvajal, the team captain.

To this, we must add the underperformance given by certain players, which has only fanned the flames within the locker room.

Fights leaked to the press

The internal tension has gone beyond the limits. To such an extent that, in the last few days, two pieces of information have been made public - in which four players on the team have been involved - that the only thing they do is damage the image of Real Madrid in a major way.

In the first of the reports, the protagonists are Antonio Rüdiger and Álvaro Carreras. According to reports, the German - a player with an immense career and seasoned in a thousand battles - slapped the Spaniard, who is in his first season at Real Madrid, during a training session, without knowing the motives. The matter did not go any further.

The second piece of information is much more critical. In training on May 6, Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouameni had a disagreement. It looked like it would stay there. But it didn't. The next day, the two had an argument again - apparently with an alleged physical fight included - that ended with the Uruguayan in the hospital with a head injury, according to reports from the institution.

Due to the seriousness of these facts, Real Madrid was forced to issue a statement after someone - allegedly, from the locker room - leaked this event to the press. The team announced that it was opening a disciplinary proceeding against Valverde and Tchouameni.

In short, Real Madrid is facing a mirror that reflects an unrecognizable image. The post-Ancelotti transition has turned out to be more traumatic than expected, and the lack of authority in the dressing room, coupled with an alarming physical fragility, has dynamited the chances of success. The club not only needs big-name signings for next season; it also urgently needs to restore the values of discipline and unity that have always defined the club. Only in this way can this 'annus horribilis' be remembered as a necessary bump in the road for a new reconstruction.