Real Madrid must overcome a harrowing statistic if Los Blancos want to successfully defend their La Liga title in the 2024/25 season.

For the 36th time in the club’s history, Real Madrid topped La Liga last season. Carlo Ancelotti’s squad lost just one domestic fixture all year and ended their campaign with 95 points, 10 more than rivals Barcelona, who settled for second place.

Los Blancos are the favorites to win the Spanish league yet again in the 2024/25 season, especially after Kylian Mbappe completed his transfer from Paris Saint-German. The world eagerly watched as the Frenchman made his La Liga debut against Mallorca, but he and his teammates were anything but impressive in the 1-1 draw.

Now, not only are Real Madrid already trailing Barcelona in the La Liga standings, but they also must do something no other reigning La Liga champions have done in quite some time.

Now that Carlo Ancelotti’s side failed to collect three points in their first La Liga fixture of the 2024/25 season, they are faced with the following statistic: The last five times the reigning champions did not win their opening match of the next season, they did not successfully defend their La Liga title.

Most recently, Barcelona fell victim to the “curse.” Under former manager Xavi Hernandez, the Catalans won La Liga in 2023, and then in their first match of the following season, they only managed a scoreless draw against Getafe. They would go on to lose La Liga to Los Blancos in the 2023/24 season.

If any squad can overcome such a daunting statistic, it is this Real Madrid team; after all, they have some of the best players in the world on their side, including Mbappe, Vinicius Jr., and Jude Bellingham.

Yet, the storied club’s history of title defenses over the last two decades leaves plenty to be desired. In fact, Real Madrid failed to go back-to-back the last four times they won La Liga. The last time Los Blancos topped the Spanish league in consecutive seasons was back in 2007 and 2008.

If Kylian Mbappe wants to win La Liga in his debut season with the Spanish giants, the Frenchman will have to help his side put together a domestic campaign worthy of defying the statistics.

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