As we enter the New Year, all football fandoms around the world cannot help but go down the memory lanes recollecting their best moments of the past year for their clubs. Real Madrid, too, had an eventful 2021, to say the least.
Yes, there was one major missing this year and that was a trophy. Going trophy-less is a big miss any day for a club like Real Madrid.
However, when we rewind the tapes a little, all Madridistas are left with a collection of exceptional linkup plays, unreal golazos, and moments of absolute magic on and off the field. It becomes extremely difficult for writers like me to sum up a whole year of football in these limited number of moments.
This is why such lists tend to get personalized. Here is my attempt at summing off a very promising year of football for Real Madrid within their ten most unforgettable moments.
10. Miguel Gutierrez introduces himself to the world
Real Madrid discovered a fine talent in Miguel Gutierrez in 2021. The Castilla prodigy broke into the first team and attracted interest in the summer transfer window. There was no way the youngster would be allowed to leave. In his very limited game time in the season, Gutierrez manages to make an entry into this list.
In his first start for Real Madrid, it only took him 16 and a half minutes to make a mark. His delicious outside of the left foot pass to Modric found the Croatian with a lot of space inside the box for him to control it and then shoot past Rui Silva passing the ball into the net through the goalkeeper’s legs.
His delicious outside of the left foot assist to Luka Modric to score the opener against Granada at Los Carmenes is undoubtedly one of the most unforgettable moments of the year. At least I have played this particular piece of play over a hundred times.
9. Benzema scores a stunner at San Mames
After Karim Benzema scored a curler past Unai Simon in the Nations League Final, Real Madrid fans were waiting in anticipation for the big Frenchman to score a similar goal for the club. And, it did happen, on the very last game of the year. Benzema inspired a victory with a brace on the year’s last Matchday of the League. And, of his two goals, the first was a moment that I’d never forget.
Three minutes into the game, Vinicius Junior had the ball wide on the left flank. He plays it to Toni Kroos lining up on the edge of the box. The German finds Benzema with the simplest of all passes. Benzema, on the other hand, hits the ball first-time to curl it past Julen Agirrezabala’s far post. The goal was simply an act of magic. There are team goals and there are pieces of individual brilliance, this goal would be my pick for the best goal of 2021 in the second category.