Four reasons why Real Madrid’s season isn’t done yet

Eliminated from the Champions League by Bayern Munich, Real Madrid are also all but certain to miss out on the domestic title. With Barcelona nine points clear and only seven games left in LaLiga, a comeback looks like mission impossible. Madrid would need to win every remaining match, see Barça lose twice, and beat Hansi Flick’s men in El Clásico. Still, there are a few smaller incentives - or maybe not so small - left for Madrid to fight for this season…

Mbappé has a Pichichi Trophy to win

Just a few weeks ago, it felt like a foregone conclusion that Mbappé would win the Pichichi Trophy, LaLiga’s top-scorer award, for the second season on the spin. The Frenchman was eight goals clear of his main challenger, Real Mallorca’s Vedat Muriqi, and was on fire: five goals in the first four matchdays of the second half of the campaign. But after eight league games without finding the net - Mbappé has missed three through injury, failed to score in another four, and was left out of one - Muriqi is now just two goals back. Mbappé has 23, Muriqi 21.

Mbappé is also chasing the European Golden Shoe, albeit he has significant ground to make up. Harry Kane is well out in front with 32 goals, after the Bayern striker scored again this Sunday against VfB Stuttgart. Mbappé is tied with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland on 23 (after the Norwegian’s goal against Arsenal), while Brenftord’s Igor Thiago and the aforementioned Muriqi are next with 21.

Although the Golden Shoe looks like a long shot for the Madrid man, there are reasons to remain optimistic. First, recent precedent. Last season, Mbappé overturned a six-goal deficit to Mohamed Salah and a seven-goal gap to Viktor Gyökeres in the final month of the season. And there’s also a small structural advantage: while Kane and Bayern have just five Bundesliga matches left, Mbappé still has seven chances in LaLiga.

To win a Pichichi-Golden Boot double, Mbappé would need to surpass last season’s league tally (he finished with 31, one shy of the pace Kane is currently setting) and also break his personal single-season scoring record. In each of the last two campaigns, the 27-year-old scored 44 goals in all competitions. This season, he’s on 40.

Courtois is chasing the Zamora

While Mbappé is out to retain the Pichichi, Thibaut Courtois is chasing a fourth Zamora Trophy. The Belgian, still sidelined by a thigh injury, currently tops the rankings for LaLiga’s best-goalkeeper award… largely because Barça’s Joan García has yet to reach the minimum threshold of 28 league appearances required to be eligible.

Courtois has conceded 24 goals in 28 league matches, a ratio of 0.86 goals per game. García has allowed 19 goals in the 25 LaLiga matches he has played, for a 0.76 average. Roughly speaking, Courtois would need to concede about three fewer goals than his Barça counterpart over the remainder of the season.

A Zamora Trophy for Courtois would also help Madrid to finish the campaign with an average of less than a goal conceded per game. As things stand, Arbeloa’s side boasts the Spanish league’s best defensive record, having let in 29 goals in 31 matchdays.

There’s also history in play. Mbappé and Courtois could complete a double that hasn’t been achieved at Madrid in nearly 40 years. The last time both the Pichichi and the Zamora ended up at the Bernabéu was in the 1987/88 season, when Hugo Sánchez won the scoring title and Paco Buyo claimed the Zamora.

Madrid are after a Clásico double

Madrid won the season’s first league Clásico at the Bernabéu in October, and will travel to Camp Nou on May 10 looking to complete a clean sweep. A perfect six points, something Madrid managed as recently as the 2023/24 campaign.

Historically, though, winning both league Clásicos has been harder than recent examples might suggest. In fact, Madrid has only managed it three times in the last 40 years: in 2007/08, 2020/21, and again two seasons ago.

There’s also pride at stake in maintaining recent dominance in league Clásicos. Despite losing the last three finals between the sides (two in the Spanish Super Cup and one in the Copa del Rey), in the bread-and-butter of the league Madrid has won eight of the last twelve meetings with Barça. And there’s the added incentive of winning the first Clásico since the reopening of Camp Nou.

Madrid want to delay Barça’s title party - and avoid a guard of honor

Barça’s nine-point cushion means they could clinch the title by winning El Clásico - something that would be historic. Neither side has ever sealed the championship against their eternal rival. If things remain as they are heading into the May 10 showdown, Arbeloa’s men would only need a draw to delay Flick’s title celebrations, since Madrid’s 2-1 win in the first meeting at the Bernabéu would give them the head-to-head tiebreaker.

But if Madrid stumbles in one or more of the three matchdays before visiting Camp Nou, Barça could secure the title on May 10 even if Los Blancos avoid a Clásico defeat. What’s more, the Catalans could go into the game with the championship already in the bag - opening the door to an uncomfortable scenario: Madrid potentially returning the guard of honor they got from the Blaugrana at the Bernabéu back in 2008.

Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that on this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.

And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.