Real Madrid 2026/27: Third Trophy Drought and City Faces 114 Charges

Madrid's Third Trophy Drought and City Condemned Over 114 of 115 Charges

Real Madrid went to the Metropolitano with the aim of not losing. They chased shadows, barely touched the ball, and returned with a defeat and Valverde heading to the infirmary: a grade 3 sprain, six weeks minimum. That derby encapsulates the start of the 2026/27 season. Mourinho's team has clearly beaten Málaga and Rayo, struggled against Espanyol, Real Sociedad, Inter, and Elche, and fallen to Betis and Atlético. If the pattern holds, it will be the third consecutive trophy drought. And Florentino Pérez remains in the stands.

Why Real Madrid is the Lowest-Running Team in Europe's Top Five Leagues

The statistic is repeated every matchday: the white team is, so far this season, the one that runs the least in the five major European leagues. It's not just a feeling from the stands. It's the central argument for those who claim the squad doesn't defend and that the problem is not tactical but attitudinal. Valverde's injury — an incident that a large part of the analysis considers a straight red and VAR failed to correct — leaves the team without the only midfielder who sustains the effort for ninety minutes.

On the pitch, criticism focuses on the double pivot. The holding pair doesn't create, gets overrun by mediocre opponents, and forces the team to rely on long passes and individual inspiration. Those who expected Mourinho to arrive with a whip are finding a lineup still waiting for flashes of brilliance.

Mourinho Returns to Real Madrid with Less Authority Than Contract

The Portuguese coach's return was marketed as the board's last big move. The prevailing analysis offers a different reading: his cycle as an elite manager ended in 2013, when he left Madrid after an abrupt finish. Today, he's described as a coach who has accepted the role and the salary, without real power to impose discipline on the dressing room's heavyweights.

It's not an isolated opinion. Some predict he won't fulfill his contract and his tenure will end sooner than expected. The most charitable scenario assumes he'll at least leave collecting his agreed-upon salary. The question no one answers is which manager with real authority would accept this post today.

Mbappé and Vinicius: Two Stars Who Perform When They Feel Like It

The focus has shifted to the attack. Mbappé is criticized for chasing his own statistics over the team's, something several analyses compare unfavorably to Cristiano Ronaldo's era. The dominant argument is that he arrived to disrupt a functioning dressing room and now forces the dismantling of half the project. Vinicius is singled out for inconsistent performance and a profile increasingly detached from the sporting side: his crusade against racism, cosmetic procedures, and incidents like the shirt supporting Ceuta.

The description of the group isn't kind: cliques, individualism, and players who fight for individual awards and would behave the same way in another jersey.

The Characterless Midfield: From Modrić to the Absence of Leadership

Criticism of the French midfield is the most frequent. He's reproached for contributing nothing beyond routine: no grit, no goals, no competitiveness; he doesn't shout, doesn't get angry, doesn't protest, plays, and goes home. The benchmark set by Modrić, Ramos, Pepe, or Casemiro is high, and the diagnosis is that there are twenty midfielders in world football who wouldn't be missed in his place.

The Bernabéu Voted for Continuity: Two Out of Three Members

A statistic has become the definitive argument against the fans. Six months ago, two out of every three members rejected an orderly departure from Florentinismo. This reproach closes the door to present indignation: those who voted for continuity, this line of reasoning suggests, have no right to complain now. You don't just enjoy what you voted for in politics, the argument concludes.

Added to this is suspicion about the management model. For some analysts, the club is run like a portfolio of financial assets: the more valuable players on the balance sheet, the higher the entity's value for a potential sale. The sporting objective has taken a back seat.

Konaté, the Left-Footed Center-Back Who Still Hasn't Arrived, and the Exposed Left-Back Position

The summer has resolved nothing. Center-back Konaté is pointed to as a failed signing, and it's repeated that the sporting direction hasn't brought in the left-footed center-back the team has demanded for three seasons. The name put forward as a solution is Gvardiol: center-back or full-back, left-footed, 24 years old, and available on the market.

The left-back problem is structural. Mendy was the world's best in his defensive position, capable of covering Vinicius's constant runs forward without faltering. Cucurella and Carreras are not the problem: the issue is the winger who doesn't track back to help.

Zain, Manchester City, and the Courts' Double Standard

The conversation shifts from the pitch to the courts. Barcelona paid 8.4 million euros over 18 years to companies linked to the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees. Some interpret this as billed and declared advisory services to the tax authorities; others see it as the trail of a fraud yet to be proven. The case is still under investigation, and no final ruling has closed it.

In parallel, Manchester City: 115 accusations, 114 charges deemed proven. The conclusion circulating is one of a double standard. Faced with a club that could be relegated for abusa financial fair play, other cases — Paris Saint-Germain, or millions paid to federation officials — have amounted to nothing. The comparison is part of public debate, not a court sentence.

The European Cup and the Francoist Narrative

A historical discussion runs through the issue. Real Madrid is criticized for being the standard-bearer of Francoism in the early European Cups, and it's recalled that the tournament was promoted by L'Équipe with the backing of Santiago Bernabéu. The counter-argument is that Barcelona already participated in the 1959/60 edition and lost 6-2 in the semi-finals, without anyone demanding their presence. The figure that closes the exchange is another: the tournament that Barcelona supporters claim as their own, the Fairs Cup, was tougher to win than the Champions League itself.

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With this picture, Madrid should be in terminal crisis and the fans up in arms. On November 25th, Florentino is scheduled to testify in court. Few narratives fit entirely. None, in reality.