2015–16 Real Madrid CF season
112th season in existence of Real Madrid CF / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2015–16 season was Real Madrid Club de Fútbol's 112th season in existence and the club's 85th consecutive season in the top flight of Spanish football. It covered a period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016.
2015–16 season | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
President | Florentino Pérez | |||
Head coach | Rafael Benítez (until 4 January 2016) Zinedine Zidane (from 4 January 2016) | |||
Stadium | Santiago Bernabéu | |||
La Liga | 2nd | |||
Copa del Rey | Round of 32 (disqualified) | |||
UEFA Champions League | Winners | |||
Top goalscorer | League: Cristiano Ronaldo (35) All: Cristiano Ronaldo (51) | |||
Highest home attendance | 80,148 (vs Barcelona, 21 November 2015) | |||
Lowest home attendance | 60,663 (vs Malmö FF, 8 December 2015) | |||
Average home league attendance | 68,929 | |||
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Under new manager Rafael Benítez, Real Madrid remained unbeaten in the league until a 3–2 loss at Sevilla on the matchday 11. Perhaps, his reign is best remembered by multiple lopsided wins achieved both in La Liga and the Champions League (6–0 vs Espanyol, 8–0 vs Malmö, 10–2 vs Rayo Vallecano and others). In the Copa del Rey round of 32, Real accidentally fielded an ineligible player, who was suspended from the previous season (when he was representing a different team), resulting in the team's controversial disqualification from the tournament by the competition judge despite protests from President Pérez.[1] In the meantime, Real comfortably topped their UCL group with 16 points and a +16 goal difference. Benítez was relieved of his duties mid-season, following allegations of unpopularity with supporters, displeasure with players and a failure to get good results against top teams.[2] Benítez's departure was announced along with the promotion of Zinedine Zidane to his first head coaching role.[3] Under Zidane, Madrid managed to turn the odds in its favor, ultimately winning the Champions League, something no one expected. The notable results include a 2–1 away victory over reigning treble winners Barcelona, who were on a record-breaking winning streak, a fantastic comeback against Wolfsburg in the Champions League quarter-finals (after losing the away game 0–2, Madrid erased the deficit and won 3–0 at home, courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick), as well as a 12-game winning streak to conclude the league campaign, meaning Real finished second, with 90 points and just one point behind champions Barcelona, coming agonizingly close to clinching the title and overcoming a 12-point deficit in the process.[4] Finally, on 28 May, Real Madrid's eleventh Champions League title was won thanks to a 5–3 penalty shoot-out victory over rivals Atlético Madrid after a 1–1 draw in the final, with the achievement being termed "La Undécima".[5][6][7]
This season was for the first time since 1998–99 not featuring the all-time legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who after 16 years of his service with Los Merengues, bidded farewell to later on join Porto. Casillas won 19 trophies altogether.