2003–04 Real Madrid CF season

Season summary

In spite of the arduous pre-season, the team got off to a good start. They won the Supercopa de España against Mallorca with a 3–0 victory on 27 August in the second leg, avenging their loss to the same side in the 2002–03 Copa del Rey. By the time half of the season had passed, Madrid topped the league table and was still in contention for the Copa del Rey and Champions League trophies. However, the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on away goals by Monaco and finished as runners-up in the domestic cup, losing to Zaragoza after extra time. They also lost their final five La Liga matches and finished in fourth place, which gave Valencia the title. It was the last time that Real Madrid finished below second place until the 2013–14 season, which brought a long-awaited La Décima.

Squad

Transfers

Winter

Pre-season

The team embarked on a summer tour in Asia, for 18 days, to cash in on the worldwide appeal of their new signing, David Beckham. It included exhibition matches in Beijing, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Bangkok, which alone earned the club €10 million. This was compared by popular contrary with the tour with the first visit of The Beatles to the United States in 1964. Although lucrative and generating wide publicity, the preparation value of the Asia was questionable, considering that the long 2003–04 season which lay ahead. It was exhausting for the players, due to endless rounds of publicity engagements and restrictions on the players' freedom of movement (due to the team hotel being besieged by fans). Most players admitted that they would have preferred a low-profile training camp and/or to have been home in Spain for the pre-season, instead of playing meaningless show matches against low quality opponents. The Asia tour has been said to have catered more to the needs of the club's marketing than to its players' preparations.

Pre-season

Morientes Portillo Solari Ronaldo Ronaldo
Raúl Li Morientes Canobbio
Carboni
Marchena
Palop Pellegrino Morientes Guti Portillo Helguera Cambiasso

Results

2003 Supercopa de España

Main article: 2003 Supercopa de España

Eto'o Ronaldo Beckham

La Liga

Main article: 2003–04 La Liga

Classification

Results by round

|color_3-4=green4|text_3-4=2004-05 UEFA Champions League Qualifying round |color_5-7=blue2|text_5-7=2004-05 UEFA Cup |color_18-20=red1|text_18-20=2004-05 Segunda Division

Matches

Ronaldo Raúl Zidane Figo Ronaldo Chema Beckham Guti Oliveira Roberto Carlos Raúl Figo Silva Alves Casquero Zidane Raúl Ronaldo Raúl Ronaldo Figo Ronaldo Figo Roberto Carlos Lopo Roberto Carlos Bravo Zidane Figo Milošević Urzaiz Del Horno Ronaldo Zidane Salgado Figo P. García Moha Helguera Xavi Capdevila Figo Campano Prieto De Paula

Copa del Rey

Main article: 2003–04 Copa del Rey

Round of 64

Portillo Cambiasso

Round of 32

Pavón Raúl Solari

Round of 16

Figo

Quarter-finals

Ronaldo Figo Zidane

Semi-finals

Raúl

Final

Main article: 2004 Copa del Rey final

Roberto Carlos Villa Galletti

UEFA Champions League

Main article: 2003–04 UEFA Champions League

Group stage

Main article: 2003–04 UEFA Champions League group stage

(20:45 UTC+2) Ronaldo Figo Van Buyten (19:45 UTC+1) Solari Zidane (20:45 UTC+2) (20:45 UTC+1) (20:45 UTC+1) Ronaldo (20:45 UTC+1)

Knockout phase

Main article: 2003–04 UEFA Champions League knockout stage

Round of 16

(20:45 UTC+1) (20:45 UTC+1)

Quarter-finals

(20:45 UTC+1) Zidane Figo Ronaldo Morientes (20:45 UTC+2) Morientes

Statistics

Players statistics

References

References

1. Ronaldo wore the No. 11 shirt until Morientes' transfer on 31 August 2003, at which point he was assigned the No. 9 shirt.
2. Portillo wore the No. 18 shirt and switched to the No. 11 after it had become available following Ronaldo's switch to No. 9 in August.
3. "Real Madrid » Transfers 1995/1996". worldfootball.net.
4. "Real Madrid » Transfers 1995/1996". worldfootball.net.
5. "SI.com - Soccer - Globetrotters Real back at base after Asian tour - Monday August 11, 2003 10:13 AM".