According to reports, within just six days, Real Madrid suffered defeat in the Copa del Rey final at La Cartuja and were then eliminated in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals by Olympiacos. A club historically defined by success and trophies now faces the prospect of a completely trophy-less season across all major competitions—something that hasn’t happened since the 2009-10 season.

Under the presidency of Florentino Pérez, Real Madrid has won trophies almost every season in football or basketball. However, 2025 may be an exception. Neither football—despite the high-profile signing of Kylian Mbappé—nor the basketball team has brought much joy to fans so far, and hopes are fading one after another.

To find a season without any trophies, we must go back 15 years to 2009-10, when Real Madrid’s teams in all competitions—La Liga, Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup, and the UEFA Champions League—ended without silverware. Now, only two months remain to prevent that nightmare from repeating.

Almost the entire burden of this mission now falls on the basketball team led by Chus Mateo—unless players like Federico Valverde, Luka Modric, and others manage to defeat Barcelona in the upcoming crucial El Clásico and keep the La Liga title race alive. Otherwise, the fate of the season will hinge on the Spanish Basketball League playoffs.

A Season to Forget

In football, Real Madrid began the season by winning the UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta—a title that technically belonged to the previous season. However, this season, they failed in two other opportunities: first, losing 5-2 to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, and then suffering a 3-2 defeat in the Copa del Rey final against Hansi Flick’s team, with Jules Koundé scoring in the 116th minute.

Thus, La Liga is now the last remaining hope for the football team. Real Madrid sits second, four points behind Barcelona, with only 15 points left to play for. Next week’s El Clásico at Montjuïc could decide the title race, and given the point gap, there’s no room for error.

In the women’s section, the team led by Alberto Toril has improved compared to the past but remains in Barcelona’s shadow. They lost to Barça in the Copa del Rey semi-finals and are second in the women’s league, four points behind with only three games left. In the Women’s Champions League, despite a 2-0 lead over Arsenal, they were ultimately eliminated and failed to reach the final four.

Basketball: A Similar Story

The situation in basketball is no more promising. The season began with a 90-80 loss to Unicaja in the Supercopa Endesa final. Then, in the Copa del Rey final, Chus Mateo’s team lost again to the Malaga-based side, this time 93-79.

The EuroLeague offered no redemption either. Real Madrid reached the quarter-finals via the play-in but narrowly avoided early elimination. In the end, against Olympiacos in the fourth game, Alberto Abalde had a chance to force a fifth game with a three-pointer, but the shot missed, and Real Madrid—who had reached the Final Four in six of the last seven seasons—won’t be heading to Abu Dhabi this time.

Under these circumstances, the only remaining hope for a trophy lies in the Spanish Basketball League playoffs. Real Madrid’s basketball team leads the league with a 25-4 record and is the favorite to win the playoffs, which will run until the end of June.

15 Years Since the Last Trophy-less Season

It may seem strange, but Real Madrid occasionally experiences a trophy-less season across all sports. The last time was in 2009-10—a season that began with a humiliating 4-0 Copa del Rey loss to Alcorcón, followed by elimination in the Champions League against Lyon. In La Liga, despite earning 96 points, they finished second, three points behind Barcelona’s 99.

The basketball team, then under Ettore Messina, suffered three painful defeats against Regal Barcelona: in the Supercopa final (86-82), Copa del Rey final (80-61), and EuroLeague quarter-finals (3-1).