You have to go back 40 years, to the summer of 1980, to remember a season in which Real Madrid started the season without making a single signing. The economic crisis generated by the pandemic (with losses assumed by the club of more than 180 million euros) and Zidane's almost blind trust in his current squad (with which he won the last league) have led to this unusual decision in a traditionally buyer club. THE ONLY THREE NEW FACES are return from assignments (Odegaard from Real Sociedad, Lunin from Oviedo and Odriozola from Bayern Munich). But spending on transfers, zero cost. The closest that the club has been in recent years to such an atypical situation was in 2016, where after winning the Undécima in Milan at Atleti del Cholo, only the forward was touched up by repeating Morata from Juventus for 30 million euros (it was the only signing of that summer). Too at the beginning of the century it was repeated that of making only one signing each year. It was in the so-called era of the Galacticos, after Florentino Pérez landed in the Presidency of Real Madrid (07-16-2000). The new president signed Luis Figo from Barcelona in 2000 (10,000 million pesetas, although Lorenzo Sanz had signed Flavio Conceiçao and Makelele before the presidential replacement), in 2001 Zidane from Juventus (72 million euros), in 2002 to Ronaldo Nazario of Inter (35) and in 2004 to Beckham of Manchester United (25).
But to analyze a season without a single transfer made, you have to travel 40 years in the time machine. In June 1980, Castilla made history by entering the Cup final after eliminating Real Sociedad de Arconada, Athletic de Bilbao, which soon after would win two consecutive leagues, and Sporting de Quini and Ferrero.. The Madrid subsidiary made history (they lost the final to their elders 6-1) and that made Vujadin Boskov and President Luis de Carlos agree to reinforce the first team with only some Castilla jewels, in addition to accepting the departure of their emblematic captain , Pirri, who began his adventure in the Mexican Puebla. Do not forget that a year earlier the club had made the largest financial outlay in its history by paying more than 200 million of the old pesetas for Laurie Cunningham, from West Bromwich Albion. The quality of that Castilla led to Agustín (a goal of almost two meters), Ricardo Gallego (an elegant midfielder with tremendous technical quality) and Paco Pineda (an incisive and aggressive striker). Those only three reinforcements were already at home. Los Juanito, Santillana, Stielike, Del Bosque, Camacho and Cunningham continued to be the figures of a solid team that in 1980 also won the League.
The Real Madrid team in the 1981 European Cup final against Liverpool.
AS file
And the funny thing is that Despite not making any signings, it was an acceptable season within what is possible (yes, settled without titles), since it could end in a big way if it does not come to be because a final goal by Zamora in El Molinón gave the League to Real Sociedad when Madrid was already celebrating the title in Zorrilla after winning 1-3 at Valladolid (the images of Juanito crossing the field on his knees are famous ) and for that final of the European Cup that the whites almost won in Paris to the powerful Liverpool. Despite the casualties, the famous Madrid de los García almost lasts until the end since the reds They did not score until minute 81 (Alan Kennedy made the final 1-0). But before that Camacho had a very clear chance, who was left alone before Ray Clemence. It could have been a historical double that in the end came to nothing.