Real Madrid truly embarrassed themselves, losing to a Segunda División B substitute squad and missing out on the Copa del Rey quarterfinals; their starting lineup was valued at 558 million euros versus 4.7 million.

Football has seen a series of major upsets lately, the kind that catch everyone off guard. The English FA Cup holders exited in the opening round after Crystal Palace was eliminated by a team from the sixth tier; PSG, six-time winners, were defeated by Ligue 2 newcomers Paris FC and missed the French Cup last 16; now Real Madrid has faced an even greater humiliation, losing to a Segunda División B side with a backup lineup, thus missing the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.

In the early hours of January 15th Beijing time, during the Copa del Rey round of 16, Real Madrid was stunned 3-2 by Segunda División B club Albacete, ending their run in the last 16! Real Madrid’s starting eleven was valued at a staggering 558 million euros, while Albacete’s starters were worth only 4.7 million euros—a ratio of just 1/119 compared to Real Madrid.

Facing such a vast disparity, Segunda División B side Albacete originally planned to rotate and forfeit the match, as they sit second from bottom (17th) in their league and face severe relegation pressure. In this game, they only fielded three regular starters—Carlos Neva (#21, center-back), Alejandro Meléndez (#17, midfielder), and José Carlos Lazo Romero (#16, forward); the rest were usual substitutes, indicating their focus was on preserving energy for the league survival battle rather than the Copa del Rey. However, after a coaching change, new Real Madrid coach Aveloya suffered a huge shock as his team lost to the second-last Segunda División B side’s rotated squad. It's hard not to feel Alonso was terribly unlucky in this historic upset.