Real Madrid fail to score 100 goals in a calendar year for first time since 2007
By Ali Rampling
2020 has been an up and down 12 months for Real Madrid.
The club claimed their 34th La Liga title - and first in three years - in July (Gareth Bale could hardly contain his joy), before enduring an unconvincing start to the 2020/21 La Liga campaign and almost crashing out of the Champions League group stages for the first time in their history.
They didn't, they're Real Madrid, they ended up qualifying for the last 16, topping the group and completely diverting disaster.
Pressure had been mounting on boss Zinedine Zidane, but Real registered five league wins in a row in December - including victory over rivals Atletico Madrid - to clamber back up the table. Heading into 2021 they sit two points behind their City rivals at the summit of La Liga, but have played two games more.
However, for the first time in 13 years, Real have failed to score over 100 goals in a calendar year.
Their goal haul for 2020 was 91 - nine shy of the 100 they hit the previous year.
2007 was the last time Real failed to hit triple figures in a calendar year - they won La Liga under Fabio Capello during the 2006/07 campaign, but had suffered early, last 16 exits in both the Champions League and Copa del Rey.
What is most remarkable when studying Real's yearly goal tallies is the startling difference the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo made.
During each full year the four-time Ballon d'Or winner was at the Bernabeu, Real consistently hit over 140 goals per year. The yearly high came in 2014, when Real netted a staggering 178 goals.
In Ronaldo's absence, Real have never hit over 110 goals in a season.
It's not very profound, but when a player who routinely hits over 40 goals per calendar year is removed from a team, said side scores about 40 goals fewer. Maths.