Real Madrid: ¡Muchas gracias, Zinedine Zidane!
By Parshva Shah
Revival of the Old Guard
Following Real’s annihilation at the hands of Ajax last season in the Champions League round of 16, many fans thought that the days of the spine of the three-peat winning team were done and dusted.
The likes of Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Dani Carvajal, and Casemiro looked like pale shadows of themselves. The 2018-19 season was an uncharacteristic blemish on the otherwise rich Real Madrid legacies of these players.
With Zidane’s return in March 2019, the aforementioned players got more playing time. When the 2019-20 season started, the results weren’t convincing enough, as Real lost to PSG in the Champions League and were almost stunned at home by Club Brugge.
The results, though, improved slowly but surely, all thanks to the faith Zidane showed in his Old Guard. Real Madrid was trailing Barcelona by two points before the global pandemic put the season on halt, but they were unstoppable once the league resumed thanks to stellar outings from the beloved veterans.
Modrić displayed the form that propelled him to the Ballon d’Or trophy in 2018 and El Capitan reached double digit goals and set a league record for a defender.
It wouldn’t be outlandish to say that Real Madrid clinched their 34th league title courtesy of the match-winners in the form of these players. Real spent around 300 million euros on new signings, but it was the might of the experienced guys that led Real to a successful La Liga outing.