Real Madrid finished the calendar year of 2025 with uncertainty and disappointment. A change in the managerial position and exciting new signings in the summer did not yield the results that were anticipated.
This was a year on the edge–a year of exhaustion.
The ‘what-ifs’ in hindsight may not necessarily provide solutions or perspective, but tingles the wishful thoughts for sure. During the holiday season, exercising such thoughts is probably not the worst idea.
What if Declan Rice wasn’t on free-kick duty?
Declan Rice’s devastating double from dead-ball situations in London effectively ended Real Madrid’s Champions League aspirations in 2025. The Arsenal midfielder’s strikes—one of which earned a place on the Puskas Award shortlist—came in rapid succession and proved insurmountable. But would a different set-piece taker have altered Madrid’s fate?
In truth, probably not. Across 180 minutes against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, Real Madrid never looked the superior side. Even in the most generous scenario where they somehow navigated past the Gunners, Paris Saint-Germain loomed large in the next round. The Club World Cup provided a sobering preview of that potential matchup, and Madrid appeared thoroughly outclassed.
What if Trent Alexander-Arnold had renewed with Liverpool?
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Real Madrid unveiling, delivered confidently in Spanish, underscored that his move to the Santiago Bernabéu was anything but impulsive. The admiration between player and club had been building for years, and when the opportunity arose to sign him as a free agent—aside from the 10 million Euros (approx) paid to Liverpool for Club World Cup availability—Madrid pounced.
But strip away the free-agent element, and would Madrid have sanctioned a transfer? For a player of Alexander-Arnold’s quality, the fee would have approached 100 million Euros. The answer is almost certainly no. Madrid capitalized on market circumstances rather than necessity. Had the England international extended his Anfield contract, Lucas Vázquez would likely have earned another year’s extension while Fede Valverde, Dani Carvajal, and Vázquez continued rotating at right-back. Madrid would have simply waited for the next opportunity.
What if Carlo Ancelotti had stayed?
Carlo Ancelotti’s departure was steeped in emotion. The club’s most decorated manager left under circumstances that, while difficult, felt inevitable for both parties. Ancelotti had lost his tactical edge, particularly in high-stakes matches, and a squad brimming with talent was underperforming. Change was necessary.
Enter Xabi Alonso, arriving with considerable fanfare and expectation. Yet the former midfielder has found the weight of managing Real Madrid’s dressing room more burdensome than anticipated. Rather than implementing his vision, Alonso has retreated into pragmatism, navigating from one result to the next while pressure mounts.
Would Ancelotti’s continued tenure have produced a renaissance similar to the 2023-24 season that followed the disappointing 2022-23 campaign? Or would the situation have deteriorated to the point of a mid-season dismissal? The answer remains unknowable, though Madrid’s current predicament suggests the problems run deeper than any single decision.
