Real Madrid News
Real Madrid the worst-hit La Liga team by VAR decisions last season
Real Madrid’s relation with referees has taken a turn for the worse in recent years, especially after the entire Negreira-Barcelona scandal.
It is, however, not only the on-field refereeing that has seen friction with the club. The advancement of refereeing, the VAR, has also not helped the situation and continues to hurt Los Blancos more than it benefits them.
In the 2024-25 season, Real Madrid would theoretically have finished as La Liga champions had it not been for VAR interventions as they were seemingly robbed of seven points to the five of Hansi Flick’s side.
No change last season
As revealed in a recent report by AS, Real Madrid were the most affected team by VAR in the recent 2025-26 campaign as well with the highest number of reviews against them and the most points lost.
Over the course of the season, there were 11 instances where the VAR intervention went against Real Madrid which is the joint highest in the division with Barcelona.
The distinction, however, is that the VAR calls directly affected the result and saw Los Blancos lose five points while they cost Barcelona just one point all season.
In terms of VAR decisions in the team’s favour, the Catalans had 11 beneficial decisions and finished the season as the second most benefited side. Real Madrid, however had just four favourable calls and are the second lowest on the list.
The two key games
Of all the games over the course of the season, two in particular directly affected Real Madrid’s title charge.
The first came at the Estadi Montilivi against Girona where a Kylian Mbappe goal was disallowed for a handball in the buildup. Had the goal stood, the team would have taken all three points.
The second instance, meanwhile, was the game against Osasuna at Estadi El Sadar with Alvaro Arbeloa as the manager. On that night, VAR intervened and awarded the hosts a penalty for a Thibaut Courtois foul on Ante Budimir.
Further, they overturned the on-field decision to disallow Raul Garcia’s eventual winner, thus converting a 1-0 win for Real Madrid into a 2-1 defeat.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid weighing up January move for €70 million-rated Arsenal midfielder – report
Real Madrid’s midfield is the one department where Jose Mourinho sees clear scope for improvement, especially given that the club did not sanction his wish for a top midfield signing in the summer.
While Bernardo Silva has chipped in as a handy option to feature in the deep midfield, the club still lacks a controlling and creative option who can glue the team together.
In that sense, there is a clear lacuna that Real Madrid need to address and Defensa Central brings to light that the club have opened up to a potential target.
Zubimendi emerges as a target
Indeed, the player in question is Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi who the club have seen as a target for a long time, and Real Madrid could even go on to sign him in January.
The Spanish international has not started off the new season well under Mikel Arteta and has primarily featured as a substitute. He does, thus, see a move to Madrid with good eyes in every sense.
Real Madrid, for their part, have not ruled out his signing as was reported in recent months and there is even a chance they seriously pursue him in the winter transfer window as a mid-season fix.
The possible fee
The Spanish outlet also add that Zubimendi’s move to Real Madrid could be completed for a fee similar to what Arsenal paid for the player for his transfer from Real Sociedad – €70 million.
Mourinho’s insistence on making a new midfield signing is no secret, and with a clear target now in mind, the board could well back him with the player he wishes.
Notably, however, even Chelsea are seriously interested in his signing.
So far, Federico Valverde has been Real Madrid’s mainstay in midfield, and Aurelien Tchouameni’s return will change the team’s dynamics in the department.
Neither player, however, offers the control and distribution skill set that the team direly lack.
A big part of whether or not the club pushes for Zubimendi, however, will depend on how the Valverde-Tchouameni combination plays out in the coming months. It is, after all, the manager’s first-choice combination for big games.
