Every Trophyless Season Real Madrid Have Endured in the 21st Century

The success of Real Madrid’s 2025–26 season is hanging in the balance, with the club now worryingly close to the unwanted rarity of a campaign without a trophy.

Los Blancos currently sit second in La Liga, seven points off Barcelona, with eight games to play. Meanwhile, their prospect of Copa del Rey success ended in January with defeat to Albacete in the last 16.

The Champions League remains, perhaps, the club’s best chance of success. However, they will need to overcome a 2–1 deficit when they go to Munich for the quarterfinal second leg on Wednesday.

Speaking after the defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday, manager Álvaro Arbeloa insisted that anyone who doesn’t believe in the comeback to “stay in Madrid”. Meanwhile, club legend Iker Casillas posted that “everything being said now is just nonsense” as he called on fans and pundits not to judge the season prematurely.

The reality is that Madrid could well end up finishing the season without any honors, something that has not occurred for five years—and just four times in total this century. Such is Madrid’s success that since the turn of the millennium, Los Blancos have actually won twice as many Champions League titles (eight) as they have endured trophy-free campaigns (four).

Here’s a reminder of the only times in which Real Madrid have ended the season without any major trophy* since 2000.

Real Madrid’s Trophyless Seasons This Century

1. 2004–05

Michael Owen was a summer signing ahead of the 2004–05 campaign | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

Real Madrid’s 70th campaign in the Spanish top tier ended in disappointment, as three separate managers—José Antonio Camacho, Mariano García Remón and Vanderlei Luxemburgo—struggled to get the club going.

Los Blancos finished four points behind Barcelona in La Liga, while they were dumped out of the Champions League last 16 by Juventus and Copa del Rey by Real Valladolid.

2. 2005–06

Diego Milito, Iker Casillas — Zaragoza’s Diego Milito (right) celebrates scoring against Iker Casillas. | AVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images

Things didn’t improve the following season, as Madrid once again finished second in the league to Barcelona. Luxemburgo only lasted until December before being replaced by Juan Ramón López Caro.

Again, the last 16 was as far as they would go in Europe with a Thierry Henry strike against Arsenal enough to knock them out.

With a semi-final exit in the Copa del Rey courtesy of a Diego Milito-inspired 6–1 loss to Real Zaragoza, 2005–06 marked Madrid’s first consecutive trophyless seasons since 1984.

3. 2009–10

Manuel Pellegrini was at the helm for the next silverware-free campaign, as a Cristiano Ronaldo-powered Madrid finished second to Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in La Liga, despite registering 96 points and scoring 102 goals.

An infamous 4–0 defeat by third-tier Alcorcón—immortalized as the Alcorconazo— in the cup was compounded by defeat to Lyon in the Champions League last 16 (again).

4. 2020–21

After immense success in his first stint as Real Madrid manager, Zinedine Zidane’s second spell ended on a flat note.

Amid the difficulties of the COVID era, Los Blancos struggled to adapt to playing the entire season at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium as the Bernabéu underwent renovations.

Atlético claimed the league by two points, despite Madrid’s 18-match unbeaten run to end the campaign. Meanwhile, Zidane’s charges suffered defeats to Alcoyano, Athletic Bilbao and Chelsea in the Copa del Rey, Supercopa and Champions League respectively.

*includes La Liga, Copa del Rey, Champions League, as well as the UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup and the Supercopa de España.