The 2021–22

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club ...

season was the 118th season in existence and the club's 91st consecutive season in the top flight of

Spanish football Football is the most popular sport in Spain. Spain has some of the most important teams in Europe (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, Seville, Valencia, and others). It also has a high number of players (most of them being unprofession ...

. In addition to the domestic league, Real Madrid participated in this season's editions of the

Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footbal ...

, the

Supercopa de España The Supercopa de España or the ''Spanish Super Cup'' is a super cup tournament in Spanish football. Founded in 1982 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2019–20 by four teams: the winners and runners-up of ...

, and the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

. This season saw

Carlo Ancelotti Carlo Ancelotti , (born 10 June 1959) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of La Liga club Real Madrid. Regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, Ancelotti is the most decorated manager ...

return to the club, having led it to '' La Décima'' in his first spell. On the domestic front, he delivered two trophies out of possible three, winning

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...

and the

. With that, Ancelotti became the first manager in Real Madrid history to have won all of the six available top-tier major trophies. In the Champions League, Madrid produced one of the most memorable runs of all time, defeating pre-tournament favorites

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...

, defending champions and favorites

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

, Premier League champions and heavy favorites

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

, all in dramatic fashion, and setting up the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

against

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, who were once again widely considered as favorites, in a rematch of their 2018 encounter. A lone Vinícius goal in the second half sealed the 14th European Cup for ''Los Blancos'', their fifth in nine years. This was also Carlo Ancelotti's fourth Champions League title as coach, making him the most successful manager in the competition's history. Real also claimed their fourth ever European double (after 1956–57, 1957–58, and 2016–17). This season was the first since 2004–05 without former

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Sergio Ramos Sergio Ramos García (; born 30 March 1986) is a Spanish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Saint-Germain and the Spain national football team, Spain nationa ...

, who departed for

in the summer and first since

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

without the Frenchman

Raphaël Varane Raphaël Xavier Varane (; born 25 April 1993) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Manchester United and the France national team. Considered as one of the best defenders of his generation, Varan ...

, with the two having been Madrid's first choice center-back pairing for years, leaving in the same transfer window.

Summary

Pre-season

On 27 May, after the conclusion of the 2020–21 season,

Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the most ...

announced that he would leave Real Madrid. The next day, Real Madrid announced the signing of

David Alaba David Olatukunbo Alaba (born 24 June 1992) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or left-back for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the Austria national team. Alaba started out in Bayern's youth system before b ...

on a free transfer from

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...

. Alaba signed on a five-year contract.

returned as the head coach on 1 June, having already led Madrid in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

– 15. On 16 June, the club announced that

would leave after 16 years of service.

August

The first match of the season was won 4–1 against Alavés on 14 August.

Karim Benzema Karim Mostafa Benzema (born 19 December 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains La Liga club Real Madrid. A creative and prolific forward, Benzema is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time. ...

scored a brace, with the other goals coming from

Nacho Nachos are a Mexican culinary dish consisting of fried tortilla chips or ''totopos'' covered with melted cheese or cheese sauce, as well as a variety of other toppings and garnishes, often including meats (such as ground beef or grilled chicken ...

and

Vinícius Júnior Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior (born 12 July 2000), commonly known as Vinícius Júnior or Vini Jr. (), is a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), winger for La Liga ...

left Madrid on the same day, to join

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

. On 20 August,

Martin Ødegaard Martin Ødegaard (born 17 December 1998) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Arsenal and the Norway national team. Ødegaard began his senior club career at age 15 in 2014, playing for Str ...

left the club to join

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

. Two goals from Vinícius and a goal from

Gareth Bale Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC and the Wales national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wingers of his generation ...

saved Madrid a point in a 3–3 draw with Levante on 22 August. Six days later, a goal from

Dani Carvajal Daniel "Dani" Carvajal Ramos (; born 11 January 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right back for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Spain national team. Having risen through the Real Madrid youth ranks, he spent a seas ...

secured three points for Madrid in a 1–0 win over

Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito Vill ...

. On 31 August,

Eduardo Camavinga Eduardo Celmi Camavinga (born 10 November 2002) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and the France national team. Early life Camavinga was born in a refugee camp in Cabinda, Angola in 2002 ...

joined the club on a transfer from

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...

September

A hat-trick from Benzema, a strike from Vinícius and a debut goal from Camavinga gave Madrid a 5–2 win over

Celta Vigo Real Club Celta de Vigo (; ), commonly known as Celta de Vigo or simply Celta, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Nicknamed ''Os Celestes'' (The Sky Blues) ...

on 12 September, their first game at the

Santiago Bernabéu Stadium The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium ( es, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, ) is a football stadium in Madrid, Spain. With a current seating capacity of 81,044, it has been the home stadium of Real Madrid since its completion in 1947. It is the second-larg ...

in 560 days following extensive renovations. Three days later, a late goal from

Rodrygo Rodrygo Silva de Goes (; born 9 January 2001), simply known as Rodrygo, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazil national team. He began his career with Santos, where he played ...

got Madrid off to a winning start in the

, with a 1–0 win over

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football ...

. On 19 September, two late goals from Benzema and Vinícius gave Madrid a 2–1 win over

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

. Three days later,

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

was defeated 6–1, with a hat-trick from

Marco Asensio Marco Asensio Willemsen (; born 21 January 1996) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a winger and attacking midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Spain national team. After starting out at Mallorca, Asensio signed with ...

, a brace from Benzema, and a goal from

Isco Francisco Román Alarcón Suárez (; born 21 April 1992), commonly known as Isco (), is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder. He last played for La Liga club Sevilla. He began his career at Valencia, playing ...

. A home match against

Villarreal Villarreal ( ca-valencia , Vila-real) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's ...

on 25 September ended in a 0–0 draw, which was Madrid's first official game of the season without scoring a goal. On 28 September, Madrid suffered a 1–2 upset home loss to

Sheriff Tiraspol Fotbal Club Sheriff (russian: ФК Шериф Тирасполь), commonly known as Sheriff Tiraspol or simply Sheriff, is a Moldovan professional football club based in Tiraspol, a city located in the unrecognised breakaway state of Transnist ...

in the Champions League, where Benzema converted a penalty to score the momentary equalizer.

October

The next game on 3 October ended in another loss, a 1–2 defeat to

Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league sy ...

in which Benzema scored the lone goal for Madrid. On 19 October, Madrid defeated

Shakhtar Donetsk Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk ( uk, Футбольний клуб «Шахтар» Донецьк , short nickname "miners") is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. In 2014, due to the War in Donbass, the club was f ...

5–0 away from home on Matchday 3 of the Champions League. Vinícius scored a brace and the other goals came from Benzema and Rodrygo, alongside an own goal. Five days later, the first

El Clásico El Clásico or el clásico (; ca, El Clàssic, ; ) is the name given to any football match between rival clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Originally referring to competitions held in the Spanish championship, the term now includes every m ...

of the season against

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Camp Nou Camp Nou (, meaning ''new field'', often referred to in English as the Nou Camp), officially branded as Spotify Camp Nou for sponsorship and financial reasons, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Spain. It has been the home stadium of FC Barcelo ...

was won 2–1 after goals from David Alaba, a debut one for the Austrian, and Lucas Vázquez. The home game against

Osasuna Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club in Pamplona, Navarre. Founded on 24 October 1920, the club currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at the 23,576-capacity El ...

on 27 October ended in a goalless draw.

Elche Elche ( ca-valencia, Elx) is a city and municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2014 data, Elche has a population of 228,647 inhabitants,Champions League history. Three days later,

Rayo Vallecano Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas. Rayo was founded on 29 May 1924, and currently compete in La Lig ...

were defeated 2–1 at home after goals from

Toni Kroos Toni Kroos (born 4 January 1990) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid. Kroos plays mainly as a central midfielder, but has also been deployed as a deep-lying playmaker in his career. He is kn ...

and Benzema. On 21 November, Madrid defeated

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

4–1 away from home. The goals came from Asensio, Nacho, Vinícius and

Ferland Mendy Ferland Sinna Mendy (born 8 June 1995) is a French professional footballer who plays as a left-back for La Liga club Real Madrid and the France national team. Early and personal life Born in Meulan-en-Yvelines, France, Mendy is of Senegalese d ...

. Three days later, Sheriff was defeated 3–0 on the road in the Champions League with Alaba, Kroos and Benzema scoring the goals. With that win, Madrid secured their place in the knockout stages for the 25th time in a row. On 28 November,

Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Gua ...

were defeated 2–1 at the Bernabéu with goals from Benzema and Vinícius.

December

On the first day of the new month, a Benzema goal secured Madrid a 1–0 home victory over

Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional Association football, football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country (autonomous com ...

. Three days later, another Basque team,

Real Sociedad Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad (; ''Royal Society''), La Real in Spanish, Erreala in Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 Septem ...

, was beaten 2–0 at

Anoeta :'' Anoeta is also a neighborhood in San Sebastián/Donostia, Spain, home to a namesake football stadium and cycle track.'' Anoeta is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the north of ...

with goals from Vinícius and

Luka Jović Luka Jović ( sr-Cyrl, Лука Јовић; born 23 December 1997) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Fiorentina and the Serbia national team. Early life Jović was born in Loznica, FR Yugoslavia. He was rais ...

. Goals from Kroos and Asensio on 7 December secured Madrid a first-place finish in their Champions League group with a 2–0 home win over Inter. On 12 December, Benzema and Asensio scored for a 2–0 Madrid Derby win against

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...

at the Bernabéu. The home game against

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

on 19 December ended in a goalless draw. Bilbao were defeated 2–1 away from home on the last matchday of 2021, with Benzema scoring a brace.

January

On the second day of the new year, Madrid lost 0–1 away to

Getafe Getafe () is a municipality and a city in Spain belonging to the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 180,747, the region's sixth most populated municipality. Getafe is located 13 km south of Madrid's city centre, within a flat ar ...

, suffering the first defeat since 3 October, a loss at Espanyol. The round of 32 of the

was a rematch against

Alcoyano Club Deportivo Alcoyano, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Alcoy, in the autonomous community of Valencia. Founded in 1928 it plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 2, holding home games in '' Estadio El Collao'', with a 4,850-seat ...

on 5 January, who eliminated Madrid at the same stage last year. This time Madrid won 3–1, with goals from Militão, Asensio and an own goal. Three days later, Madrid defeated Valencia 4–1 at home after braces from Vinícius and Benzema, with the latter scoring his 300th goal for the club. On 12 January, the first semi-final of the

2021–22 Supercopa de España The 2021–22 Supercopa de España was the 38th edition of the Supercopa de España, an annual football competition for clubs in the Spanish football league system that were successful in its major competitions in the preceding season. After las ...

was won 3–2 after extra time against Barcelona. Vinícius, Benzema and

Federico Valverde Federico Santiago Valverde Dipetta (; born 22 July 1998) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Uruguay national team. A versatile player known for his pace, stamina, and w ...

scored the goals. The following day, Madrid terminated the loan agreement with

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

for

Borja Mayoral Borja Mayoral Moya (; born 5 April 1997) is a Spanish professional professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Getafe. Formed at Real Madrid from the age of 10, he made his first-team debut in 2015 after featuring for the ...

and sent him to Getafe until 30 June 2022. On 16 January, Madrid won their first trophy of the season, the Supercopa de España, defeating Athletic Bilbao 2–0 in the

with goals from

Luka Modrić Luka Modrić (; born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the Croatia national team. He plays mainly as a central midfielder, but can also play as an attack ...

and Benzema. Four days later, Madrid faced Elche away from home in the Copa del Rey round of 16 and won 2–1 with a late extra time comeback after goals from Isco and

Eden Hazard Eden Michael Walter Hazard (born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid. Known for his creativity, dribbling, passing and vision, Hazard is considered o ...

. On 23 January, Madrid played another match against Elche, this time in the league at the Bernabéu, and made another last minute comeback. The final score was 2–2, with Modrić and Militão scoring the goals.

February

On 3 February, Real Madrid faced Athletic Bilbao at the San Mamés in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals in the first game of the month, making it the fourth meeting between the two teams in two months. Madrid lost 0–1 and were eliminated, meaning they had progressed past the quarter-final stage only once after their victory in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

. Three days later, Madrid hosted Granada in a league match and won 1–0, with the only goal coming from Asensio. On 12 February, Madrid played against Villarreal away from home, with the game ending in a goalless stalemate. On 15 February, Real met

at the

Parc des Princes Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...

in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. A lone Mbappe goal at the death gave Paris the advantage. Four days later, Madrid defeated Alaves 3–0 at home, with Asensio, Vinícius and Benzema scoring the goals. On 26 February, Madrid faced Rayo Vallecano on the road and clinched the three points with a late goal from Benzema.

March

On 5 March, goals from Camavinga, Modrić, Benzema and Asensio helped Madrid to take a smashing 4–1 victory over Real Sociedad in the first game of the month, a day before the club's 120th birthday. Four days later, Madrid faced Paris Saint-Germain at the Bernabéu in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16. A hat-trick from Benzema powered Real's late comeback, with the team winning 3–1 (3–2 on aggregate) and progressing to the quarter-finals. On 14 March, Madrid defeated Mallorca away from home, with Benzema scoring twice and Vinícius also on the scoresheet. On 20 March, Madrid hosted the third El Clásico of the season and lost 0–4. This was Real's first Clásico loss since 0–1 in

March 2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

and their biggest since 1–5 in October 2018.

April

On 2 April, after the international break, Madrid beat Celta Vigo 2–1 away from home, with Benzema scoring two goals from the penalty spot. Four days later, Madrid met

away from home in the Champions League quarter-finals first leg, rematching the last season's semi-finals. Madrid won 3–1 thanks to the second Benzema Champions League knockout hat-trick in a row, making him the first player to achieve that feat since

Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...

in the 2016–17 edition. On 9 April, goals from

Casemiro Carlos Henrique Casimiro (born 23 February 1992), known as Casemiro, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Manchester United and the Brazil national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best d ...

and Vázquez gave Madrid a 2–0 home win over Getafe. Three days later, Madrid faced Chelsea at home in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Real suffered a 2–3 loss after extra time, but managed to win 5–4 on aggregate to reach the semi-finals with a late Rodrygo goal and an extra time header from Benzema. On 17 April, goals from Rodrygo and Nacho and a late winner from Benzema helped Madrid produce a comeback and beat Sevilla 3–2 away from home to secure their third consecutive win at the Ramon Sánchez Pizjuan, which has not happened in over 30 years, and move closer to the title. Three days later, Madrid got a 3–1 away win over Osasuna after goals from Alaba, Asensio and Vázquez. On 26 April, Madrid played the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals against

on the away soil. The match ended in a 3–4 loss, with a Benzema brace and a goal from Vinícius. On 30 April, Real Madrid sealed their 35th La Liga title with a 4–0 win over Espanyol at the Bernabéu after a brace from Rodrygo and goals from Asensio and Benzema. With four games to spare, this was Real's earliest league title since

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

May

In the first match of the month, on 4 May, Madrid faced Manchester City in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals. Real produced another late comeback, with a brace from Rodrygo moving the game to extra time where a Benzema penalty sealed the victory, qualifying Madrid for the

, 17th overall for them and first since

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, defeating their opponents 3–1 in the match and 6–5 on aggregate. Real Madrid became the first team to lose three knockout games en route to the Champions League final since the current format was introduced in the 2003–04 season. This was also the first time in the club's history that Real qualified for the Champions League final after losing the first leg of the semi-finals, having failed to do so on eight previous occasions. Four days later, Madrid lost 0–1 versus Atlético away from home. This was Real's first ever derby loss at the

Wanda Metropolitano Metropolitano Stadium (Spanish: ''Estadio Metropolitano''), also referred to as Cívitas Metropolitano for sponsorship reasons, is a stadium in Madrid, Spain. It has been the home stadium of Atlético Madrid since the 2017–18 season. It is lo ...

and also the first since the

2018 UEFA Super Cup The 2018 UEFA Super Cup was the 43rd edition of the UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match organised by UEFA and contested by the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League ...

. On 12 May, Madrid demolished Levante in a 6–0 home win, with a hat-trick from Vinícius, the first in his career, and goals from Mendy, Rodrygo and Benzema, who equalled his Real Madrid goalscoring record with

Raúl Raul, Raúl and Raül are the Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan forms of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph. They are cognates of the French Raoul. Raul, Raúl or Raül may re ...

's. Three days later, Madrid drew Cádiz 1–1 away from home with a goal from

Mariano Mariano is a masculine name from the Romance languages, corresponding to the feminine Mariana. It is an Italian, Spanish and Portuguese variant of the Roman Marianus which derived from Marius, and Marius derived from the Roman god Mars (see also ...

. On 20 May, in the season's last league game, Madrid faced Real Betis at the Bernabéu, with the match ending in a 0–0 draw. For the first time since the 1983–84 season, no one in the team was

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

during their La Liga campaign. On 28 May, Madrid faced

in the

Champions League final The UEFA Champions League is a seasonal football competition established in 1955. Prior to the 1992–93 season, the tournament was named the European Cup. The UEFA Champions League is open to the league champions of all UEFA (Union of European ...

in a rematch of their 2018 encounter. A lone Vinícius goal sealed the 14th European Cup for ''Los Blancos'', their fifth in nine years, and Ancelotti's second in charge, making him the first manager to win four Champions League trophies (with

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

and

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, and with Madrid in

and 2022). Despite Real Madrid's status as the most decorated team in European Cup / Champions League history, they were considered underdogs in this season's campaign, rated no higher than seventh prior to the start of the group stages in September 2021 (after, in order, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City,

, Chelsea, Liverpool, and

). Prior to the start of the

knockout phase A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

in February 2022, they were again seventh, behind Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...

, in addition to having been considered underdogs to all of the teams they faced thereafter. As such, Madrid's run can be considered among the most improbable ones in modern Champions League history.

Players

Transfers

In

Out

Contract renewals

Pre-season and friendlies

Competitions

Overview

La Liga

League table

Results summary

Results by round

Matches

The league fixtures were announced on 30 June 2021.

Score overview

Copa del Rey

Madrid entered the tournament in the round of 32, as they had qualified for the

Supercopa de España

UEFA Champions League

Group stage

The group stage draw was held on 26 August 2021.

Knockout phase

=Round of 16

= The draw for the round of 16 was held on 13 December 2021.

=Quarter-finals

= The draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals was held on 18 March 2022.

=Semi-finals

=Final

Statistics

Squad statistics

^† Player left Madrid during the season

Goals

Clean sheets

Disciplinary record

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:2021-22 Real Madrid CF Season Real Madrid CF seasons

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

Spanish football championship-winning seasons UEFA Champions League-winning seasons