he first FIFA Club World Cup™ is now just 97 days away!
Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo scored 97 goals between them to inspire Real Madrid C.F. to an unforgettable 2013/14 season.
The hypersonic Welshman sprinted from his own half, even leaving the pitch to round Marc Bartra en route to scoring a sensational winner against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final.
In the UEFA Champions League, the ‘BBC’ bagged 26 of Los Blancos’ 37 goals as Real swaggered into the final, but they trailed fierce rivals Atlético de Madrid deep into injury time in Lisbon. Sergio Ramos nevertheless equalised with a thumping header from a Luka Modric corner, before Bale and Ronaldo helped Carlo Ancelotti’s side to a 4-1 extra-time victory that completed ‘La Décima’.
Bale and Benzema finished that campaign with 22 and 24 goals respectively, while Ronaldo astonishingly hit 51 in 47. A record seventeen of those came in the Champions League.
Modric and Ramos will represent different teams at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™. The Croatian is, at 39, still immaculate in the Madrid midfield, while the Spaniard, who will turn the same age later this month, recently joined CF Monterrey and scored his first goal for them last Sunday with a trademark header.
Los Blancos and Los Rayados could meet in the quarter-finals, but first they must navigate the group stage. Real will take on Al Hilal in Miami, CF Pachuca in Charlotte and FC Salzburg in Philadelphia.
The 15-time European champions currently boast an awesome front foursome. Curiously, Kylian Mbappe (32), Vinicius Junior (25), Rodrygo (21) and Jude Bellingham (19) have 97 goals and assists between them in 2024/25 at the time of print.
