In response, club president Florentino Perez hired Alonso and sanctioned around €180million (£155m; $210.5m) to be spent on new players, including defenders Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras and Trent Alexander-Arnold, along with exciting young Argentine playmaker Franco Mastantuono.

The 2025-26 La Liga season is here, as Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are fighting to retake the division crown from Barcelona.

Where to watch La Liga match online between Real Madrid and Osasuna, including live streams, TV channels, kick-off time and more.

Our Real Madrid writers guide you through the biggest talking points at the Spanish club, in a new weekly series

The start of Real Madrid's new era came with a painful defeat - but manager Xabi Alonso has the chance of a lifetime with his former club.

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe scored 31 La Liga goals in the 2024-25 La Liga season, but did not register a goal against two teams.