Without a doubt, 2023/24 has been a special season in the storied history of the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, as Real Madrid have enjoyed many special moments at their newly redeveloped stadium. Beneath the club’s state-of-the-art roof and 360º video scoreboard, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have enjoyed a stoppage-time victory in ELCLASICO, a comeback win against Bayern Munich in the Champions League and many other memorable moments.
Their 0-0 draw with Real Betis in Matchday 38 of LALIGA EA SPORTS may not immediately stand out, however this result meant Los Blancos have completed an unbeaten season at home across all competitions. This is something Real Madrid had not achieved since 1996/97.
Back then, Fabio Capello was the coach of Los Blancos in what was a strange season, given that the capital city side weren’t involved in any European competitions. The Italian got the team winning again and they finished first in the LALIGA EA SPORTS table, while their Copa del Rey campaign lasted until the Last 16. That left Real Madrid’s 1996/97 squad with a record of 24 home matches played, with 19 wins and five draws.
After that season, Real Madrid had always lost at least one match in Chamartín. In two campaigns, though, they came very close to going unbeaten at home: the 2001/02 and 2012/13 seasons. In each of these, Real Madrid only lost one game at the Bernabéu all season and on both occasions it was a Copa del Rey final. The first was later dubbed the Centenariazo, when Real Madrid fell 2-1 at their home ground against Deportivo de La Coruña on the capital city club’s centenary. The latter was another tough one for Los Madridistas to swallow, as they were beaten 2-1 in extra time by rivals Atlético de Madrid, which was Los Blancos’ first defeat in the derby since 1999.
Now, in 2023/24, Real Madrid have once again achieved an unbeaten home campaign, their first of the 21st century. They have played 25 matches at the Bernabéu so far in 2023/24, winning 20 and drawing five. More than the impressive results, Ancelotti’s side have been truly entertaining in front of their own fans, scoring a total of 62 goals, which works out at an average of 2.48 per game.
They’ll hope to return to the Bernabéu to celebrate a possible Champions League victory with their fans at their stadium. But, no matter what happens against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, this Real Madrid squad will enter the history books as the first unbeaten home team since 1996/97.
