Barcelona’s victory over Real Madrid, which secured the Catalan club’s 29th Spanish league title, means the Merengues can no longer win any trophy in the 2025/26 season. This marks only the sixth time in the 21st century that the Madrid side has finished a campaign empty-handed. Amid technical struggles and a turbulent atmosphere, the club faces major challenges heading into 2026/27. Here’s a look at what lies ahead.
The coaching situation is precarious. With the exception of 2004/05, when Vanderlei Luxemburgo arrived late in the season and was retained despite winning nothing, Real Madrid have sacked their manager at the end of each of the four other trophyless seasons this century (2003/04, 2005/06, 2009/10, and 2020/21). The same fate seems likely for Álvaro Arbeloa, who replaced Xabi Alonso but failed to get the best out of the squad. The Spanish coach did manage to revive Vinícius Jr., but the team as a whole fell far short of expectations. According to The Athletic and other European media, José Mourinho is Florentino Pérez’s preferred choice to take over next season. The return of the Portuguese coach is not universally supported within the club, but the president is making the decision on the future of the managerial position almost single-handedly.
The locker room has been in chaos. One reason Pérez is pushing for Mourinho is the need to restore order in the dressing room. The recent clash between Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni was just the latest symptom of a deeply fractured environment—from the poor relationship between Vinícius Jr. and Xabi Alonso to growing unease among the squad over Kylian Mbappé’s attitude at the end of the campaign. The club is expected to undergo a major overhaul next season. Pérez, after deferring to director José Ángel Sánchez’s recommendation to hire Xabi Alonso, will again centralize football decisions. Alonso was seen as a studious, tactical coach, while Arbeloa was more of a unifier who knew the squad. Both failed, and Pérez believes a hardline figure like Mourinho is the right antidote after a season marked by infighting and disappointing results.
A squad reshuffle is also on the cards. Several players are expected to leave in the upcoming transfer window. Contracts for David Alaba, Antonio Rüdiger, and Dani Carvajal are expiring. Others who saw limited minutes, such as Gonzalo García and Dani Ceballos, are likely to be moved on. The club plan to bring back Endrick, currently on loan at Lyon. According to The Athletic, a significant restructuring of the football department is also possible, with former player Toni Kroos could return to Real Madrid in an executive role. Given this uncertainty, it’s hard to predict exactly how the squad will change, but there’s no doubt the group is very strong on paper, with young and talented players. However, for the past two seasons, there has been a growing sense that this is a difficult squad to manage, plagued by frequent ego clashes, which may only be resolved by letting go of key names. Sales may also be necessary to fund new signings.
