Real Madrid 2021-22 season review - star player, best moment, standout result
Real Madrid's 2021-22 campaign came to a close at Stade de France on Saturday night, with the Spanish giants beating Liverpool 1-0 in the final of the Champions League.
Los Blancos also breezed to this season's La Liga title, winning the division at the end of April, with Carlo Ancelotti enjoying a hugely successful campaign at the helm on his return to the club.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at Real Madrid's season, which also saw them win the Spanish Super Cup and reach the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey.
SEASON OVERALL
Final league position: 1st
Copa del Rey: Quarter-finals
Champions League: Winners
Top scorer: Karim Benzema (44)
Most assists: Vinicius Junior (20)
There were eyebrows raised when Ancelotti returned to Bernabeu last summer as a replacement for Zinedine Zidane, and it was a quiet transfer window for the club, with David Alaba arriving on a free transfer, while talented teenager Eduardo Camavinga joined from Rennes.
Influential figures in the shape of Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos, who had both been so key to their success, were also allowed to leave, with the latter departing on a free transfer, while the former moved to Manchester United.
Not too many expected Los Blancos to be a major force in La Liga, while they were not considered to be among the favourites for the Champions League at the start of the campaign, but it has been a spectacular season for the club, who have now lifted the European Cup on 14 occasions.
Real Madrid were excellent in the early stages of the campaign, putting wins on the board in La Liga and the Champions League, but they suffered a shock home loss to Sheriff Tiraspol in the Champions League at the end of September before Espanyol beat them in the league straight after.
The team's response was incredibly strong, though, and the wins continued to arrive at an impressive rate, with their next loss not coming until the start of January away to Getafe. At the start of 2022, Los Blancos won the Spanish Super Cup by beating Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, while they were progressing in the Copa del Rey, overcoming Alcoyano and Elche.
Real Madrid's spot in the knockout round of the Champions League had also been secured, and Ancelotti's side were flying high at the top of La Liga. There was disappointment in the Copa del Rey at the start of February, losing to Athletic in the final eight, while they suffered a 1-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 affair.
Real Madrid managed to turn things around in the second leg at home, though, running out 3-2 winners on aggregate, while a series of victories in La Liga strengthened their position at the summit. There was the setback of a 4-0 home loss to Barcelona in the league, but they produced two spectacular Champions League wins over Chelsea and Manchester City to reach the final of the European Cup.
Ancelotti's side also secured the La Liga title at the end of April by beating Espanyol 4-0, which allowed the manager to rotate his squad in the final weeks of the campaign, and it paid off in terms of the European Cup.
Real Madrid actually finished their campaign with back-to-back league draws with Cadiz and Real Betis, but they were 13 points clear of second-placed Barcelona, boasting a record of 26 wins, eight draws and four defeats, scoring 80 times and conceding just 30.
Reclaiming the La Liga trophy was special, but Real Madrid's best moment of the season came on Saturday evening, with Vinicius's second-half effort proving enough to beat Liverpool to win the Champions League, but they needed their goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to put in a stunning performance.
Having beaten PSG, Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool to win the European Cup, it is difficult to argue against their position as European champions, and it proved to be a famous campaign for a certain Benzema, who scored 44 goals and contributed 15 assists in 46 appearances in all competitions.
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Source: SportsMole
