Real Madrid season review 2023/24: You ain't seen nothing yet | OneFootball

The Santiago Bernabéu is again the epicentre of the footballing universe after another memorable campaign.

Competition breakdown

LaLiga – Winners

Carlo Ancelotti’s side faced a two-pronged threat from Catalonia with Girona going toe-to-toe with them for the title alongside defending champions Barcelona.

But Los Blancos spent just seven combined weeks away from top spot throughout the season, winning the title at a canter with a 10-point cushion.

Champions League – Winners

A flawless group stage campaign was still not without its challenges as Madrid required late winners from Jude Bellingham and Dani Ceballos against Union Berlin.

Things didn’t get much easier in the knockouts, edging out RB Leipzig by a single-goal aggregate before their quarter-final showdown with Manchester City went to penalties.

A last four clash with Bayern Munich at the Bernabéu, similarly, boiled down to fine margins as Joselu’s stoppage-time brace clinched an 18th European showpiece appearance.

Ancelotti’s men ultimately proved too strong for Borussia Dortmund at Wembley with a late onslaught to extend their dominance and secure a 15th continental crown.

Copa del Rey – Round of 16

Fourth-tier Arandina were dispatched comfortably before a last 16 meeting with city rivals Atlético dumped them out in extra time with a 4-2 reversal.

Supercopa de España – Winners

A week before their Copa revenge, Diego Simeone’s side slipped to a 5-3 defeat before Vinícius Júnior’s hat-trick condemned Barcelona to a 4-1 loss in the final.

Player of the Season: Jude Bellingham

It could only be him.

Bellingham’s debut season at the Bernabéu promised to be a genuine game-changer for Madrid after his blistering start of 10 goals in as many club appearances.

But the boy from Birmingham’s best was still to come in the first Clásico of the season as produced two sublime strikes to down Barcelona at Montjuïc’s Olympic Stadium.

Since then, the sky really has been the limit for Bellingham despite missing out on the Pichichi award for LaLiga’s top scorer to Girona striker Artem Dovbyk.

Even before any potential further success with England at Euro 2024, the Ballon d’Or is already calling his name.

Game of the Season: Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern Munich

Never has the chant ‘Así, Así, Así gana el Madrid’ been more appropriate than on the night which looked set to confirm a rematch of the 2013 Champions League final.

Bayern appeared to have one foot in the Wembley showpiece after Alphonso Davies broke the deadlock just 22 minutes from the end of normal time at the Bernabéu.

Never beaten, however, the hosts rallied in the closing stages with Joselu notching an equaliser in the 88th minute before clinching victory in the first minute of added time.

Top goalscorer: Vinícius Júnior (24)

If Bellingham doesn’t claim the Ballon d’Or, it will be because Vinícius’ Champions League final goal tipped the balance.

The pair were neck-and-neck on 23 goals apiece at the end of LaLiga’s final matchday before the Brazilian scored in his second successive European showpiece.

He also claimed the Player of the Match in both legs of the semi-final against Bayern.

This might just be his year.

Rising star: Arda Güler

Hopes were high last summer when Madrid pipped Barcelona to the signing of the Fenerbahçe wonderkid who had been touted as the new Mesut Özil.

Yet Güler’s formative months at the Bernabéu were spent on the sidelines as a combination of muscle and knee injuries heavily derailed those plans.

The teenager played in fits and starts since January before showcasing his obvious talent with five goals in four games at the tail end of the Liga campaign.

What comes next?

A pivotal summer is already underway in the Spanish capital with Toni Kroos announcing his retirement and Kylian Mbappé’s long-awaited arrival increasingly imminent.

But this isn’t likely to be as good as it gets for Ancelotti’s side with a domestic and European double merely the starting point of the Italian’s latest Bernabéu masterplan.