What caused Real Madrid to fail in all four major competitions this season? The blame lies with Florentino Perez's left-leaning superstar recruitment policy.

For fans, the major events of 2026 include Italy's hat-trick of missing the World Cup and Real Madrid's double failure in all four major competitions. If Italy's consecutive absence from three World Cups is due to systemic backwardness, what is the reason for Real Madrid's consecutive two-season failures across all four major competitions?

My personal view is that the fault lies with Real Madrid's club president Florentino Perez, with the root cause being his severely left-leaning superstar recruitment strategy. Football is not only a study of contradictions but also a study of biological evolution. Florentino Perez's football philosophy remains stuck in his inherent superstar recruitment policy, rather than aligning with the recruitment needs of truly modern football tactics. In football, if you don't advance, you regress. A classic case is the championship-winning coach Jose Mourinho; now this Portuguese renowned manager has become a "master" coach who effortlessly receives termination fees and constantly uncovers internal issues in different teams.

Real Madrid's current squad has serious problems: there is no central striker, yet everyone is a left winger. The team already has a world-class left winger like Vinicius Junior. Rodrygo, one of the currently injured Brazilian duo, also has his best position as a left winger. Adding Jude Bellingham, who also prefers operating on the left flank, the left side is already overcrowded. Yet, Florentino Perez insisted on prioritizing signing the so-called world's best forward, Kylian Mbappe. All four mentioned players are right-footed and prefer operating on the left side, cutting inside to shoot. Consequently, during Real Madrid's matches, a crowd ends up on the left side, while the right flank lacks a genuine explosive threat.

Paris Saint-Germain, without Mbappe, won six trophies last season, including their first Champions League title, and have already reached the Champions League semi-finals this season. Paris has become stronger without Mbappe. Meanwhile, Real Madrid, having acquired Mbappe, seems to have weakened. Mbappe appears to score prolifically, but sacrifices the team's overall balance and defense. Even Carlo Ancelotti couldn't manage the dressing room; Real Madrid keeps changing coaches yet continues to fail in all four competitions year after year. Mbappe and Vinicius Junior's positions and tactical functions severely overlap. Therefore, their presence and simultaneous starting cannot achieve a synergistic effect greater than their individual sum. In summary, with Vinicius Junior already at Real Madrid, signing Mbappe was Florentino Perez's stubborn insistence. If Real Madrid wants to reclaim the La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Champions League titles, either Vinicius or Mbappe must leave. Otherwise, the Bernabeu cannot accommodate "two tigers," severely harming the team's performance and dressing room unity.