Why Real Madrid are both victims and culprits of their ruthless schedule | OneFootball

Real Madrid have endured a demanding season where they have played more matches than any other team in Europe’s top leagues.

The Spanish giants have been battling on all fronts, with their schedule packed to the brim due to their continued progress across multiple competitions.

Despite the heavy fixture list, Carlo Ancelotti’s men have remained competitive and successful, having already secured two trophies out of the three finals they have played this campaign.

Up until now, Real Madrid have played 50 matches, which is the maximum any Spanish club could have played at this stage of the season.

However, their season is still far from over, with a guaranteed minimum of 65 matches to be played. This figure accounts for their remaining nine matches in La Liga, two fixtures in the Champions League, one in the Copa del Rey, and three in the Club World Cup.

If Real Madrid reach the finals of all competitions they are still competing in, the total number of matches could reach a staggering 72.

Most used players

Federico Valverde has been overworked. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

Ancelotti and his players have often voiced their concerns over the demanding schedule. However, despite their frustrations, the reality is that there is little they can do to change it.

As a result, several key players have accumulated an extraordinary number of minutes on the pitch.

To put things in perspective, six Real Madrid players feature in the top 35 footballers across Europe’s five major leagues with the most minutes played this season.

Federico Valverde leads the pack with 4,759 minutes, followed by Kylian Mbappe with 4,278 minutes, Jude Bellingham with 4,143 minutes, Antonio Rudiger with 4,067 minutes, Vinicius Jr. with 3,965 minutes, and Aurelien Tchouameni with 3,961 minutes.

What’s more, these statistics do not even include the additional minutes played by Real Madrid’s internationals when they represent their national teams.

There is a bigger problem

Apart from these minutes, one of the most significant issues facing Real Madrid this season is their difficulty in finishing the games in regulation time.

Since the start of 2025, the team has struggled to put games to bed efficiently. Instead, they are often required to keep their best players on the pitch for extended periods, leaving them physically drained.

There have been at least 16 matches this season where Real Madrid either failed to win or narrowly scraped victory.

Real Madrid have been forced into the extra-time quite a lot this season. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

Notable examples include their comebacks against Leganes (3-2) and Valencia (2-1), as well as their hard-fought 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano.

Additionally, Real Madrid’s fixture list has been complicated by the need to play extra-time matches on several occasions.

They have had to endure three matches that went to extra time this season—two in the Copa del Rey and one in the Champions League.

In fact, 50% of their knockout ties this season have required extra time. They only managed to progress in regular time against Manchester City, Deportiva Minera, and Leganes.

Even when Real Madrid managed to avoid extra time, the games were often tight and nerve-wracking. Against Celta Vigo, Los Blancos nearly squandered a 2-0 lead within the last seven minutes, narrowly escaping embarrassment.

Real Sociedad also managed to take their clash to extra time after scoring four goals at the Santiago Bernabeu, a performance that left Real Madrid fans frustrated and searching for answers.

Their Champions League campaign has been no different, with Madrid struggling to find consistency. At the Metropolitano, Real Madrid only secured passage to the quarter-finals through a penalty shootout after a gruelling 120-minute battle.

Now, as the season draws to a close, Ancelotti will need to find a solution to this problem if Real Madrid are to finish the campaign on a high note.

The club’s relentless schedule is not easing up anytime soon, and their inability to close out games effectively could prove costly in the long run.