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MVP flops
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Real Madrid almost have nothing left to play for this season. After getting knocked out of the Spanish Cup by Albacete and then losing to Bayern Munich in the quarter finals of the Champions League, "Los Blancos" now have just one potential piece of silverware left to win before May. Unfortunately, that would require Álvaro Arbeloa and his squad to overcome a nine-point gap between them and Barcelona at the top of the Spanish top-flight. And if they fail to do that, it'll be the first time since 2021 that Madrid have gone an entire season without a single trophy.
The most valuable squads without a trophy
The tragedy of failing to lift a single trophy is compounded when one considers that Madrid possess the most valuable squad on the planet, worth €1.34 billion. A market value that would in turn make "Los Blancos" the most valuable team in history to complete a season without winning a single title. The Merengues’ dressing room is home to four players valued at €100 million or more, with Kylian Mbappé the standout among them at €200 million.
As things stand, if Barcelona manage to win the league title, Real Madrid will overtake Arsenal as the most valuable club to finish a season without a trophy. The Gunners did so last season with a squad valued at €1.23b. What’s more, should Mikel Arteta’s side fail to win the Premier League or secure their first Champions League title and Real Madrid win LaLiga, the Emirates side will surpass their previous season’s record and become the world’s most valuable squad to finish the season without a trophy. The north London squad has a total value of €1.23 billion.
In addition to Real Madrid and Arsenal, there are two other teams that could join this list this season. These are Chelsea, valued at €1.16 billion, and Liverpool, valued at €1.02 billion. The Blues can avoid this if they win the FA Cup, where they are in the semi-finals, whilst the Reds will do so in the hypothetical and extremely unlikely scenario of winning the Premier League, where they still have a mathematical chance.
