Real Madrid have not made the best of starts to the 2024/25 La Liga campaign, having won only two of their four games (D2) heading into the international break.
With their arch-rivals Barcelona winning four in four, Carlo Ancelotti & co. are already under some pressure just three weeks into the new season.
While it is true that things have not entirely gone according to plans for Real Madrid on the field, injuries to players like Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga, along with some controversial decisions from match officials have affected them, at least to a certain extent.
The matter of referees and their treatment of Real Madrid players has been going for quite some time now, with Los Blancos being at the receiving end of some dodgy decisions last season as well.
Numbers don’t lie
In fact, RMTV, always vocal about the mistreatment of Real Madrid by La Liga referees, has published some interesting numbers that shed light on the situation.
Real Madrid have gone a total of 43 consecutive matches during which an opponent player has not been shown a red card by the referee in the league.
In that same period, however, Los Blancos have seen five of their players get sent off by the match official.
Furthermore, over the past 43 games in La Liga, Real Madrid players have committed 204 fouls lesser than their opponents, indicating that they are also targeted and meted out rough treatment by opposition players.
The La Liga opener against RCD Mallorca this season portrayed the situation quite well as Pablo Maffeo went unpunished for a harsh challenge on Vinicius Jr., who was fouled with regularity by opposition players.
In the same game, Los Blancos also had a penalty claim denied by the match official while Ferland Mendy was sent off late in stoppage time.
Real Madrid were believed to have been outraged by some of the decisions made on the night by referee Cesar Soto Grado.
The sentiment within the club is clear: “When that happens, it means that something is wrong here.”