The Club World Cup is the last hope Real Madrid is clinging to in order to finish 2025 winning something and avoiding a trophyless season.
After failures in the Super Cup, La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Champions League, Real Madrid only has the option of a tournament with a grand name and poor participation left.
FIFA promotes it as "the tournament in which the 32 best teams in the world participate." But neither the champion of Spain (FC Barcelona), nor the Premier League champion (Liverpool), nor the Italian league champion (Napoli) are present. The tournament is flawed from the start, no matter how much they want to hide it.
Instead, teams like Inter Miami, Monterrey, Egypt's Al Ahly, Seattle Sounders, Auckland City from New Zealand, Esperance Sportive de Tunis play.
Los Angeles, Urawa Red Diamonds from Japan, Ulsan HD from South Korea, Mamelodi Sundowns FC from South Africa.
Wydad AC from Morocco, Al Ain FC from the United Arab Emirates, Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia, Pachuca, or Salzburg.
Without Liverpool, Barça, or Napoli, but with all these. A tournament under suspicion because the best of the season don't participate in it.
Julio Maldonado, Maldini, shares this view. For him, this Club World Cup is a "bacalada." He explained it as follows:
"I'm not stupid"
"I don't know who I read saying that the Club World Cup is worth four Champions. That's a 'bacalada,' but come on... I'm not stupid, Liverpool isn't there, nor Barça, nor Napoli.
It doesn't work. The Club World Cup is a Club World Cup with an asterisk. That's the truth, and whoever doesn't want to admit it, doesn't have to.
From the Madridist point of view, Madridists cling to the Club World Cup because it's what they can win this season.
If Madrid had won La Liga and the Champions League, they'd think the Club World Cup is a 'bacalada.' They'd say there's no need to even play it. What's the point, just go on vacation.
That's the truth and whoever doesn't say so is lying. It's a Club World Cup in which the champion of Spain won't be there. Nor the champion of England, nor the champion of Italy.
The champion of the two most important leagues in the world won't be at the Club World Cup. But what kind of World Cup is this?
Seattle Sounders are there. Let's be serious, 3 of the 5 champions from the 5 major leagues won't be there. It's a very serious 'bacalada.'"